Journey
by Yellowverse
Summary: Kurt Hummel is dragged on a vacation with the Hudmels for some "family bonding time". There he meets Blaine, a boy who lives on the island and the son of the Marine Life Coordinator. Longer summary inside. Rating may change to M.
1. Chapter 1

_**After this story is done, you will find you know a lot about scuba diving and dolphins.**_

_**Summary:** Kurt Hummel is dragged on a vacation with the Hudmels for some "family bonding time". There he meets Blaine, a boy who lives on the island and the son of the Marine Life Coordinator. The boy takes Kurt on a journey, and teaches him all about his life among the coral and dolphins. Together he and Blaine make the island of Mabon their playground, and as their friendship strengthens, will romance begin to blossom between the two like-minded boys?_

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><p>Kurt Hummel and Finn Hudson sat at the rectangular oak table of the Hummel-Hudson family kitchen. They glanced nervously at each other as they awaited their parent's presence. It wasn't as if this was something for the step brothers to be nervous about, family meetings like this did not often bring bad news for the two boys. Not these days, anyway.<p>

"This feels like an intervention" Finn said, squirming in his chair. Kurt regarded him from across the table in his usual smug way, as if Finn was being completely ridiculous. Finn caught Kurt's look and looked down, not wanting to be the victim of Kurt's sharp tongue.

"Whatever, you know what I mean"

Luckily the two boys were spared from any more awkward conversation and pauses by the kitchen door opening, and Carole and Burt entering the kitchen. Kurt and Finn both looked up simultaneously, and where relieved to see that the Hudmel parents did not look upset or angry, instead they looked very happy.

"Boys" Burt began as he and Carole took their seats around the table.

"We have some exciting news for you"

"Okay" Kurt quickly interjected before either parent could get another word in.

"This better not be something pointless and stupid because I am missing _Millionaire Matchmaker_ for this and Patti was just about to-"

"No sweetie, this is important" Carole said, smiling endearingly. Burt however, did not beat around the bush.

"We are going on a vacation!"

Silence.

"Wait what?"

"You, me, Finn and Carole. We are going on a holiday together, for two weeks. We leave in two days"

Kurt gaped. Sure, a holiday with the fam, what could be more fun? But this was his summer holidays, the last ones before his senior year. He had plans. He and Rachel had a shopping trip lined up, as well as many musical-themed sleep overs to look forward to, and sing-a-long Sound of Music was back this year! He understood family time was important, but he was a teenager, and he didn't want to spend two weeks non-stop with his family on some holiday-

"Wait" Finn spoke up.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"To Mabon Island"

Kurt frowned. He had never even heard of the place.

"Come on Kurt, buddy. Carole and I saved up a long time for this, and it's important this family spends time together. You'll have plenty of time for friends once we get back"

Burt was staring at him expectantly. Kurt forced a smile to his face, trying to appear happy.

"Sure, it'll be fun"

**Later**

"Rachel"

"_What is it, Kurt? Not that I'm not happy to hear from my best gay, it's just that I'm taping _the Real Housewives_ for this so…"_

Kurt rolled his eyes, and hopped onto his bed, cradling his in his neck as he inspected his nails.

"I'm going to have to take a raincheck on our summer plans"

Kurt pulled the phone away from his ear so he did not have to listen to Rachel's grumbling.

"_What do you mean you have to take a raincheck? But we planned it all out and-"_

"I know, I know! But Carole and Dad are taking Finn and me on a spontaneous holiday for the first few weeks of break and-"

"_This is not acceptable, Kurt Elizabeth Hummel!"_

"I know-"

"_How did I hear about this from you and not Finn?"_

Kurt sighed. Rachel had been damn near impossible (even more than usual) ever since her and Finn got back together last week.

"I don't know, look, why don't you ask him? I'll put him on the phone"

"_This isn't over, Kurt"_

"Right. Finn's here, I'll be saying good bye, Rachel"

Kurt shoved the landline in Finn's poor, unsuspecting hands and rushed off before Finn could even act startled at Rachel's persistent yelling on the other end of the line.

**Present**

Kurt sighed as he stepped off the barge at Mabon Island. He had his carry-on bag in one hand, and a large bottle of sunscreen in the other. He was covered head to toe in clothing in order to shield his porcelain skin from the harsh, bright sun, as well as having a large, wide brimmed straw hat to protect his head and face. It wasn't the most fashionable of items, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

A large amount of people were spilling onto the jetty from behind Kurt, forcing him to reluctantly shuffle away from his ticket to freedom, and closer to two weeks of painful sunburn. Burt and Carole where walking in front of him, holding hands and giggling like love-struck teenagers. Finn was slowly walking behind him, one hand lugging his suitcase and the other holding his phone in front of him, texting Rachel, Kurt had assumed. Burt turned to look over his shoulder, slinging one arm around Carole and using his other to point at the bay to the left of them.

"Look at that- you should appreciate this view, boys"

Finn barely looked up but Kurt half-heartedly turned his head to see what he would be staring at for the start of summer vacation.

He was pleasantly surprised.

The bay _was_ beautiful. The water was calm and a picturesque colour palate of light blues, dark blues, and green. Each gentle ripple of the water sent thousands of light reflections sparkling like diamonds, from the gentle afternoon sun that threw an array of warm colours in the sky. The sand was a bright mix of white-gold, and was littered with families and couples enjoying the warm, pleasant weather. The grass was a rich green that began beyond the beach, as well as a few island-paradise clichéd palm trees that lined the edges of the sand. There was an al fresco dining area, which invited a casual and relaxed feel to the entire resort. Kurt had to admit, he did like it.

The smell of fuel brought little warning to the sudden roar of engines in the air. The spectators on the jetty turned their heads to see three teenagers leaping aboard a couple of large jet skis. Two girls, a brunette and a blonde, kicked theirs into gear, zooming off into the depths of the bay, laughing the whole time. A dark curly-haired boy was behind them, pushing his jet ski into the water and leaping astride it, pressing down hard onto the throttle for an explosive launch off the beach. He quickly caught up to the girls, laughing and catcalling as he sped past them, turning the handle bars for a hard right. The brunette girl took the boy's speed as a challenge, and pressed on her throttle to catch up to him. When she nearly reached him she stood up straight in her seat, leaning over to try and catch a handful of his hair. He yelped and ducked from her touch, flinging his hand out to try and push her away. She laughed, and veered her jet ski away from the boy's hand in order to avoid being knocked over.

Kurt watched their horseplay in awe, unaware that his family had shuffled on and was nearly off the jetty.

"Kurt!" his father called from the end of the jetty, waving him over. Kurt quickly followed, forgetting about the curly-haired boy on the Jet Ski and his two female friends.

_**Later**_

Kurt shoved his bags down in his room of their rental house. Burt and Carole had spent extra to hire a villa rather than a unit, because they were bigger and more comfortable. Kurt held off a snarky remark about 'family time' simply because he was grateful he did not have to share a room with Finn 'snores like a Neanderthal' Hudson. He sat down on a bed and surveyed the room. It was nice, if a little plain. The walls were painted white, save one feature wall that was painted a pale blue. There was a painting of a sail boat in a plain frame on the wall, and a small desk that was empty of character and decoration. It was agreeable, the bare minimum, and neutral. Just like this whole place.

"Kurt, Finn!" Burt called them from the living area. Both Kurt and Finn slowly emerged from their rooms.

"We want to go out to the bar for a drink, but we forgot to pick up the second room key for you boys at check-in. Would one of you go and get it from main reception?"

Finn quickly volunteered Kurt. Kurt rolled his eyes but didn't say anything as he was happy to get out of the house. He picked up his sunglasses from the glass-covered table and informed them he would be back in fifteen.

Kurt had a vague idea of where main reception was from his parent's villa, even though he did not pay much attention on the way over. He was still dressed in his trademark skin-tight jeans and a long-sleeved sweater, which protected him from the sun but not from the heat. Even though it was late afternoon, little breeze meant the heat from the day appeared to be sticking around. He was sweating by the time he reached the main reception.

It did not have a door; instead it was a small, hut-inspired building that had a grey and white office appearance on the inside. There was a small waiting area with a couple of chairs and a table stacked with magazines. The main desk was at the back of the room, with a visible office area for staff employees behind it. Kurt walked up to the front desk. It was empty.

He glanced around. He could hear somebody talking on the phone out the back but he could not see them, and there was no bell to ring to alert them of his presence. He cleared his throat loudly.

Suddenly, the sound of a door slam caused Kurt to jump. He peered around the side of the desk to see a boy walk into the office area, shirtless and dripping wet. His new angle meant he could see the woman talking on the phone, and she pried it from her ear to scold the boy.

"Blaine! Stop dripping water all over the floor!"

Kurt stood on his toes to see the boy. He was wearing nothing but a pair of worn boardies, as if they had been used many times to swim in. He was towelling himself dry, before shaking his head like a puppy, sending water droplets flying from his curly dark hair-

Kurt felt a jolt of recognition as he stared at the boy. It was the boy he had seen earlier on the Jet Ski. Kurt was surprised; he didn't think that the boy would work here. He couldn't be older than Kurt himself.

"Blaine" the woman complained, swatting the curly-haired boy on the shoulder with a rolled-up pamphlet.

"Go serve the gentleman out the front, will you?"

Blaine laughed, picking up a resort t-shirt that was strewn across a desk chair and pulled it over his head. He walked casually out the front, smiling warmly at Kurt yet regarding him curiously.

"Hi, can I help you?"

Kurt stuttered with his words. Blaine's smile had thrown him off guard. It was such a welcoming smile, one that did not stop at his mouth, but lit up his entire face.

"Uh hi, I ah… wanted the second room key for… villa 53"

Blaine nodded, and ducked his head from the counter, searching for the key. When his head re-emerged, his eyes scanned Kurt's attire. Kurt felt affronted. Why was this boy analysing what he was wearing?

"Bit hot for jeans and a sweater?"

Kurt felt his defences go up but when he saw Blaine's face, he realised that it was not a personal attack. Blaine's eyes were soft and kind. For some reason, he genuinely wanted to know the answer.

Kurt smiled stiffly.

"Don't want to get sunburned…"

Blaine threw back his head and laughed. He looked at Kurt, grinning.

"You don't really want to be here, do you?"Kurt gaped. How could this random guy possibly know his deal? He felt his ears go pink. Blaine's grin got wider, as if he knew he had hit the nail on the head. Kurt looked away. He wasn't sure if he liked this guy.

"Look" Blaine's hand reached across the bench and patted Kurt on the arm.

"Give this place a chance. You might find it surprises you"

Kurt flinched at the touch and Blaine quickly drew his hand away. He placed the room key on top of the bench.

"There you go, villa 53. Have a nice day"

Kurt turned to leave.

"Hold on a minute"

Kurt turned back, wondering what on earth the boy could want.

"What's your name?"

That, Kurt could supply.

"Kurt"

"My name's Blaine"

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><p><em><strong>Short and sweet to get the ball rolling. But this story should be pretty quick to write since the entire thing is already planned out start to finish.<strong>_


	2. Chapter 2

**Before we begin, just letting you know, all this stuff about dolphins is completely legit, no matter cheesy it sounds. They are extremely intelligent creatures. **

**Also, I just want to say a few words about the island that Mabon island is based off. It is currently suffering from a severe bushfire burning out of control, and I hope everyone who is on the island at the moment is safe. Hopefully I will be back there soon to check out the damage. **

**The rating for the story has been changed to M, because the story is finished now and it gets mildly smutty later on. Anyways, enough from me, enjoy the chapter. New chapters will be posted every few days or so (read: when I feel like it)**

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><p>Kurt dumped the keys on the kitchen table and walked off to his room. He let himself fall on his bed and covered his head with his pillow. After a couple of minutes of lying there, he could hear Burt and Carole leaving the villa. Kurt lifted his head and sighed. What was he going to do for the next two weeks?<p>

Finn appeared in his doorway. Kurt looked over to the man he was once in love with.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go for a walk? I'm bored"

Kurt lifted his body off the bedspread and walked past Finn, motioning for Finn to follow.

"Dude, don't you want to change into something more-"

"No. Do not even go there"

Once he and Finn had made it out into the resort, Kurt was at a loss as to where they could go. Finn looked around dumbly. To the right there was the sparkling bay, and to the left there was a long row of villas. In the distance there was the resort, which was slowly quieting down after a busy afternoon. The sunset was glorious.

"Okay, where are we going?" Kurt looked over to Finn, who shrugged.

"Let's go onto the beach"

Kurt looked down at his Paul Smith Sid Boots.

"No thanks"

Finn rolled his eyes, and was about to walk away when a voice stopped him.

"Hey Kurt!"

Kurt turned on his heel to see Blaine walking towards him, in the company of two gorgeous girls, a Latino brunette and a tall, slim blonde. Blaine had dried off since his dip in the ocean, and his hair was now in luscious curls that framed his hairline, and stuck out in every direction. The Latino girl eyed Kurt with a very smug look on her face, while the blonde had a sweet, pleasant smile. Kurt smiled stiffly at the trio.

"Hi Blaine"

Blaine gestured to his two companions.

"This is Santana and Brittany. Santana lives here, and Brittany is from the mainland"

Santana crossed her arms, a look of pure amusement on her face. She glanced at Blaine, who was smiling at Kurt brightly and looked like she wanted to burst out laughing. Brittany caught hold of her arm and hung onto it. She stared at Kurt curiously.

"You look like a wood nymph"

Kurt stared at her, wide-eyed, while Blaine and Santana laughed. Santana rubbed her hand up and down Brittany's arm.

"Kurt?" Finn walked up beside Kurt, his brotherly protectiveness coming into play.

"This is Finn, my step-brother. This guy here is Blaine; I met him before at reception"

Finn shrugged.

"Oh okay, cool"

He turned to Santana. "You live here?"

Santana shrugged. "My mum is the head chef on the island, I grew up here. He does too"

She pointed to Blaine. He smiled.

"Yep, my parents both work here. I was born on the island. Santana and I are in the same grade, we've home-schooled together for years"

Kurt was surprised. So this boy didn't just work here, he _lived_ here, his whole life. Kurt couldn't even fathom living on one island for his entire life.

"Does it ever get like, boring?" Finn asked.

Blaine shook his head.

"Not really. I have so much to live for here that I could never bear leaving. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live on the mainland and it seems… constricting"

Kurt wanted to laugh. Constricting? Coming from a boy who spent his entire life on one island?

Santana patted Blaine on the shoulder.

"No, dolphin boy here could never leave his work. Me, on the other hand, I've considered leaving once or twice when I finish school. It's hard staying here when your heart is somewhere else…"

She glanced at Brittany when she said this. Kurt wanted to ask her what she meant, but he thought he knew. He felt a pang of sympathy for Santana.

"So anyway, Kurt" Blaine said, rubbing his hands together.

"I wanted to invite you to hang out with us during your stay. You too, Finn" he added hastily at Finn's affronted reaction to his name being left out.

Kurt felt conflicted. Hang out with Blaine? He didn't know if he wanted to do that. Something about Blaine's confidence and friendliness irked Kurt. Maybe he just wasn't used to people being so nice to him when he was so obviously gay. That led him to think, what team was Blaine on? Why was he showing so much interest in Kurt? They had only just met, and already Blaine was offering to spend time with him. Why?

On the other hand, Blaine's smile and warm invitation was so sincere and genuine that it was hard for Kurt to believe anything other than that Blaine wanted to be friends with him. And he was going to be spending a lot of time on this island, doing nothing. Blaine said to give the island a chance, so Kurt was going to do just that.

"Sure, I'd love too"

As Kurt Hummel exchanged phone numbers with the curly-haired boy, he had no idea that this meeting was going to be the one that changed his life. He had no idea that with this boy in front of him, he was going to learn more about who he was and what his heart wanted than he ever thought possible. And he had no idea that this boy would be the one that sent him on an adventure of love, friendship, sacrifice, danger and most of all, courage.

After Blaine and the others left, Kurt and Finn sat on a park bench by the beach, watching the sunset. Kurt glanced at Finn, to see his step brother staring deeply at his phone. Kurt sighed.

"Rachel?"

"Yeah" Finn smiled sadly.

"This trip came at a really bad time. Rachel and I just got back together, and I don't want us to screw it up again. I really love her"

"I know"

"And you know what she's like; I don't want her to be mad that I'm away when all we want is to be together…"

Kurt laughed.

"Trust me, I know"

Finn looked up at Kurt.

"Well, what about you, dude? I mean, did you have plans?"

Kurt considered it. Yeah, he had plans, and this trip was the bullet that destroyed those, but something that Blaine had said to him had struck a chord with him.

_Give this place a chance. You might find it surprises you._

Kurt knew what to say to Finn.

"Look, I know all you think you want right now is to be with Rachel, but maybe this trip is a good opportunity to decide if that is true"

Finn looked angry.

"I know what I want. Rachel… she's _it_"

"You may think that now, but things change. Time away from her will give you a chance to think, and I think that's something you could really use"

"A chance to think?"

"Yeah"

"Why would I need that?"

Kurt sighed, partly because playing psychologist to his endearing-but-dumb stepbrother was tiring, and partly because personally, he thought it was obvious. He thought that Rachel and Finn must be doing something wrong for them to keep betraying each other's trust and confidence, and that Finn might be rushing into something he wasn't sure about. Kurt was no expert on relationships, but he knew from experience that feelings change, people change and they begin to want different things. He didn't want Finn to hurt Rachel, but Finn could realise over the coming weeks that maybe he and Rachel where rushing in to get back to how they were before, and that he and Rachel need to work harder to repair their relationship and gain each other's trust. They needed to communicate more, and respect each other's wishes to make their relationship work, and they couldn't just pretend nothing bad had ever happened between them. Kurt had watched their relationship break down before from a lack of these things. He told Finn this, and the taller boy looked sceptical.

"I get what you're saying man, but I don't think it's true for Rachel and I. We are in love, and we can make it work because of that"

Kurt hoped he was right, for both of their sakes.

Later that night, after a pleasant dinner with Finn, Burt and Carole at the main resort restaurant (Kurt had wondered if the food had been cooked by Santana's mother), Kurt received a text from Blaine that read:

_Make sure you and Finn get a good night's sleep! We are meeting at the water sports centre at 7am- Wear swimmers- - Blaine_

Kurt was already in bed and did not want to get up, so he forwarded the text to Finn. He was uncharacteristically nervous. He wasn't the biggest swimmer and he couldn't think of what Blaine had planned for him.

_Give this place a chance. You might find it surprises you._

Blaine's words echoed around in his head. Whatever was happening, he promised to make the most of his time here. He rolled over, snuggling down in his sheets. He _was_ going to have fun, and give everything in this place a shot. Especially Blaine.

With those words still etched in his mind, Kurt closed his eyes and let sleep wash over him.

"Finn, come on- GET UP"

It was 6:30am and Kurt was in Finn's room, shaking his stepbrother awake. Finn grumbled and rolled over, pulling the blanket into his grasp like he was hugging a teddy bear. Having been trying to wake Finn for the past few minutes, Kurt finally snapped, grabbing hold of Finn's duvet and yanking it with surprising strength, sending it flying off Finn's curled up body.

Finn's eyes flew open.

"DUDE"

Kurt dumped the duvet on the floor. "Come on, we are meeting Blaine in half an hour. Be ready"

Kurt had ready himself. He had already done his morning moisturising routine, having devised a new one especially for the trip to accommodate the salt water that would be potentially dry out his skin. He was, however, looking forward to the salt water treating his hair. He read that it was good for a bit of salt water to cleanse hair of product and treatment, and was looking forward to seeing results.

Kurt was also at a loss as what to wear. He had brought swimming trunks with him, having never owned a pair before being given a set by Carole. He thought they were hideously ugly, but better them to brave the ocean than anything from his Marc Jacobs collection. He had also brought a couple of t-shirts, something he only wore to sleep in but something he had to wear this time. He looked awfully different, in a pair of trunks and a t-shirt, but Finn obviously did not notice as he walked out of his room, running a hand through his tousled bed hair.

"Hurry up" Kurt snapped, shaking his head at the Neanderthal slow pace Finn was making. Finn rolled his eyes, obviously well-used to Kurt's 'quirks' and sharp tongue by now, and slowly began to make breakfast.

It was another fifteen minutes before Finn was finally ready, and while he waited Kurt prepared a note to leave for Carole and Burt explaining where they are.

"Do you think they are going to be mad that we didn't tell them beforehand?" Finn asked as they left the villa, heading for the water sports centre. Kurt shrugged.

"If they are, there's nothing much we can do about it"

Kurt wasn't usually the 'rebellious teenager' type and he was surprised at himself. Normally he did not like betraying his dad's trust. For a long time each other was all they had, and because of this Kurt had never tried to make things difficult for his father. But he didn't think this was much of a big deal, there wasn't far they could go on an island.

Blaine was waiting for them at the water sports centre when they arrived. He was leaning back on a chair, a pair of sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Once again, he was wearing nothing but his weathered swimming trunks from yesterday. He looked up as they approached.

"Hey guys" he said cheerfully, as if he enjoyed early mornings, Kurt observed dryly. Blaine leapt out of his chair to greet them.

"Santana is just out the back getting our kits ready" He pointed vaguely to inside the water sports centre, which was just an average sized building with a large wall that had stacks of snorkelling gear hanging on it, masks and fins, life jackets and kayak paddles.

Santana emerged seconds later carrying a large array of masks, fins and life jackets.

"There you go" she said to Kurt, handing him a kit. She handed the other to Finn.

Kurt stared at the equipment in his hands.

"Blaine, just what exactly are we doing?"

Blaine smiled as he picked up his own kit off Santana.

"We are going snorkelling!"

Kurt did not have much time to protest before he and Finn where shoved into a room by Santana that was filled with black body suits he had never seen before.

Blaine followed them.

"These are wetsuits, they'll keep you warm. The water is still cold because the sun hasn't been up long enough to heat up the water"

Blaine walked up to a long row of wetsuits, whose label said they were for men. He turned around and eyed Kurt's slender frame. Kurt felt a blush creeping up to his face.

"You'll probably be a small" He reached up and a pulled a wetsuit off its hanger, tossing it at Kurt. Kurt caught it and held it up in his hands, surprised at the heaviness of it. He felt self-conscious as he slowly pulled off his shirt, staring at Blaine's well-toned chest and stomach.

Blaine handed a large to Finn, before turning back to face the boys.

"Do they fit well?" Blaine asked, watching the boys struggle with the tight material. Kurt had managed to get most of his on, however he could not reach the zipper at the back to pull it up. Blaine saw his struggle and went to help.

Kurt felt Blaine's soft hands on his shoulders, sliding down to reach the zipper. He slowly pulled it up, using his other hand along Kurt's back to make sure the zippers stayed aligned. Kurt shivered at Blaine's touch. When Blaine's hands pulled away, Kurt almost wanted to protest.

Blaine had disappeared, and when he returned, he was also wearing a wetsuit, however he had left his on halfway, not bothering to zip it up. Santana had reappeared, this time with Brittany. They were both wearing wetsuits.

Blaine directed Kurt and Finn to sit down in two chairs, standing in front of them.

"Alright, just a bit of theory before we hit the water"

Kurt listened intently. He was still nervous about swimming in open water.

Blaine began to explain, Brittany and Santana watching on from the door.

"The place we are going is about ten minutes that way"

He pointed out the door and pointed left. Kurt and Finn nodded, craning their necks to see where Blaine was indicating.

"The place we are going is an artificial reef, made up of a collection of shipwrecks that line that part of the beach, about fifty meters out. They were originally placed there in the sixties to provide a safe mooring spot for boats and ships coming into the island, but since then an entire ecosystem began to grow on that spot, and now it is a favourite snorkelling and scuba diving spot for tourists"

Blaine continued.

"We will be going out there at low tide, this means that the current will be small and easy to manage for you two, since I assume this is your first time out there"

Blaine looked at Kurt and Finn for confirmation, and the two boys nodded again.

"Visibility is also always best at this time of day. However, low tide means we won't have too long before the tides turn and the current picks up. I'm going to be the leader for this trip, which means you have to follow my instructions. Santana will also be swimming up behind you guys to make sure you don't get into any trouble. Also" he added "the wrecks are cool to touch, but be careful, they are sharp and I know from experience that tetanus shots are a bitch"

Kurt laughed uneasily. He was starting to feel quite nervous. He knew he should feel safe with Blaine, who had clearly done this a thousand times, but he was worried and paranoid that his own lack of grace in water will end up getting him eaten by a shark.

Finn surprised him by asking Blaine this exact question.

"Dude, will we like, see any sharks?"

Blaine smiled, impossibly cheery.

"Probably, but don't worry, we mostly get black-tipped reef sharks and they aren't very dangerous or large- I'm hoping we will see some dolphins"

"Dolphins?" Kurt repeated, stunned. He would love to see a dolphin; he always thought they were beautiful creatures.

"I always thought dolphins were real-life unicorns. They are so magical" Kurt heard Brittany whisper to Santana, who laughed softly.

Blaine's eyes where shining, and Kurt remembered the name Santana had called Blaine earlier- 'Dolphin boy'

After the final preparations were made, they all piled onto a small tin boat with a blue canvas roof. Blaine took a seat at the end of the boat where the engine was located, and secured his grip on the pull string handle.

"Ready" Santana called from the front, taking a seat at the bow of the boat.

Blaine nodded, and with a huge pump of his arm, heaved the pull string out of the engine. The engine revved, and small drops of perspiration appeared on Blaine's forehead as he pumped the engine a few more times. Finally, the engine started, spluttering until the smell of petrol indicated it was ready to run.

Kurt found that his knuckles had turned white from holding onto the steel edge of the small boat. He felt extraordinarily unsafe, and the spluttering, rattling engine did not sound like it could support five people.

The boat slowly started to move from the beach. It was a rocky start until the boat picked up speed. Blaine sat at the back, driving the boat by using a long handle connected to the engine to steer. Santana was at the front, peering out into the distance, keeping watch for any incoming obstruction. Kurt watched Blaine, who was staring out at the ocean with a serene expression on his face. Although the engine was loud and the smell of fuel was in the air, the boat was gliding through the water now. The tide was low and the day was still, so the water was calm with barely a ripple breaking the surface. Suddenly, the boat lurched and Kurt clung to the side. He looked back at Blaine, who did not look concerned at all.

"How qualified are you to drive this thing?" Kurt said, only half joking.

Blaine laughed.

"Very- I have my boat and jet ski licence for about a year now. You're qualified to sit the test when you are sixteen" Blaine explained.

"Not that that's ever stopped us in the past" Santana called from up the front.

Blaine nodded ruefully.

"Santana and I have been driving boats since we were twelve. You're in safe hands, Kurt"

Kurt nodded and slowly loosened his grip on the ledge. They powered on, the great, rusty orange wrecks slowly growing in size as they neared their destination.

They slowed as they reached the ship wrecks. They were huge, towering over Kurt's head, and placed in strategic positions throughout the section of the bay, providing the perfect cover from any oncoming weather. Finally, with the engine running slowly, Santana heaved the anchor into her arms, releasing it into the water below. It was a couple of seconds before the jolt of the boat told them that the anchor had successfully dug into the sand. Blaine shut off the engine and they drifted to a halt. Blaine got up from his seat at the back, rocking the boat slightly as he picked up his kit that was left on the floor of the dinghy.

"You can take off your life jackets and put on your fins and masks" Blaine said, twisting his arms around his back to zip up his own wetsuit. Kurt followed suit and struggled out of his thick life jacket. It took a bit of strength to get the tight flippers on his feet, and once he had the mask on he felt a little claustrophobic. Blaine lifted his mask to his face, hawked back and spat in his mask. Santana and Brittany where doing the same, while Kurt and Finn watched, mystified. The three swirled the spit in their masks, before leaning over to dip their masks in the water.

"You should do the same" Blaine said, placing his mask over his head.

"The spit stops the mask from fogging once you are in the water" Santana explained further.

Kurt pulled off his mask and gingerly spat in it, while Finn emptied half his saliva gland into his. Once they had washed it out, and placed them back on their heads, they were ready to snorkel.

"Alright" Blaine said, sitting on the ledge of the dinghy. It rocked slightly at his weight.

"Santana and Brittany will jump off first and you can watch them do it, you can go after and I'll go last and make sure you jump off safely"

Santana rolled her eyes slightly and stood up, managing to make even walking in fins graceful. She sat on the ledge, on the opposite edge of Blaine, and tucked her legs over, ready to jump.

"Blaine, you take safety way too seriously" she said with a teasing wink, before dropping off into the water.

Blaine shook his head, but his face showed amusement. He offered a small wave to Brittany as she dropped off the boat after Santana. Finn was next, and he stumbled around in the dinghy with the large flippers on his feet. He finally managed to slip off the boat with a shout and a splash, earning a shriek of laughter from Santana, who was floating in the water below.

"Ready?" Blaine said, appearing beside Kurt. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sure" Kurt breathed, taking an uneasy step towards the edge of the boat. He slipped his legs over the side, with a degree of more success than Finn had, and slowly pushed himself off, plunging feet first into the water.

Kurt was expecting a wave of cold to hit him when he first entered the water, but was pleasantly surprised when all he could feel was the wetness against his skin, and the chill at his feet. Blaine was right, the wetsuit did a good job of keeping him warm. Kurt stuck his above the water just in time to see Blaine stepping casually off the boat, landing with a splash. Blaine reappeared above the water, adjusting his mask.

"Are you guys ready?" he said, motioning for them to follow him. Kurt kicked his flippers, and began to swim.

They dropped off about five metres away from the base of the wrecks, and it was a short swim to reach them. Kurt was pleased to see it was surprisingly easy to swim with the fins, and each powerful stroke of his legs sent him propelling forward. He was right up next to Blaine, and he knew Finn was swimming with Brittany and Santana behind them. He and Blaine reached the wrecks first, and Kurt saw the underwater world for the first time.

He was surprised about how many fish where underneath the surface. He did not originally see them when they dropped off, but now there were fish surrounding them in the hundreds. They were of all different shapes, sizes and colours, and swam up to Kurt and Blaine fearlessly. Kurt held out his hand, laughing as the fish surrounded him, all moving at quick paces. He paid for his amusement, though, as seawater filled his mouth. He ducked his head above the surface to spit the seawater out, before shoving his snorkel back in. They were swimming up the side of the wrecks now, and Kurt marvelled at the sheer size of the rusty shapes. He had originally thought the great big ships where ugly, but now he could see some kind of strange beauty in the way the fish milled around in all their colours, and how each rusted steel frame of the ship had some kind of exotic coral on it. Kurt wasn't into outdoorsy activities, but he loved this.

Suddenly, Kurt felt Blaine's fingers on his wrist. He looked at the boy, and saw he was pointing in other direction, where a strange shape was moving slowly through the water. Kurt peered hard as the shape came into focus, and felt a sudden jolt of fear when he realised it was a shark.

The shark swam a little closer, and Kurt grabbed Blaine's arm. He could hear a rush of bubbles from Blaine's snorkel as the other boy chuckled, and pointed again to show Kurt that the shark could not look more disinterested in the five humans that swam near him. The shark swam a little closer again, before rapidly swimming off as another shape flew past it. Kurt tightened his grip on Blaine's arm in fear. What was that?

Blaine swam closer to where the shape had swum past. Kurt's mask was fogging up a little but he could see that Blaine was peering into the deep blue, trying to see the shape if it came past again. Blaine motioned for Kurt to come forward, but Kurt was _just fine_ with staying where he was. Blaine shook his head and motioned for Kurt to come forward again. As he was trying to convince Kurt to follow him, a dark shape appeared behind Blaine. Kurt wanted to shriek and tried pointing to behind Blaine, trying to warn him of the danger, but Blaine shrugged in confusion. Suddenly, the shape flew into focus and slammed into Blaine, head-butting the boy and sending him shooting forward. Kurt's hands flew to his mouth in fear as Blaine contorted, twisting as if he had hurt his back. Suddenly, the shape flew up, and Blaine wrapped his arms around it as he resurfaced. Kurt quickly resurfaced too, spitting out his snorkel and shouting "WHAT THE HELL?"

Blaine pulled off his mask and grinned as his arms wrapped around the grey shape, which Kurt could not quite make out. But there was a long grey snout shaped like a bottle, and a triangular dorsal fin…

"Kurt, I'd like you to meet Echo, my dolphin"

"Your dolphin?" Kurt spluttered as Blaine ran his hands lovingly along the sleek body of the dolphin. Blaine nodded.

"What is this, _Flipper_? How do you own a dolphin?"

Blaine shrugged.

"I don't own her. I look after her when she comes into the bay. She recognises me, and she loves playing. Head-butting me is her way of saying 'hello'"

Kurt shook his head disbelievingly. This island was starting to sound more and more like a Disney movie.

Blaine motioned for Kurt to come forward.

"Would you like to meet her?"

Kurt could not believe it. He slowly paddled up to the dolphin, gasping in surprise as the dolphin nudged her nose against Kurt's stomach. He tentatively reached out and stroked the dolphin on her head. Her skin was surprisingly smooth and not slimy.

"Scratch her belly, she loves that" Blaine said, running a hand down her stomach and clicking his tongue, causing the dolphin to flip over and reveal her white underside. Kurt gasped about how large and swollen her stomach appeared to be.

"Is she…"

"Pregnant, yes" Blaine finished, with a smile that could only be described as a proud mama smile.

"Twelve months. She's actually due any day now. That's why I worry when she's not around. Her last calf was a stillborn and…" Blaine paused "Well, I want it to be a healthy birth anyway"

Kurt saw some movement in the corner of his eye, and saw more dorsal fins in the distance.

"That's her pod" Blaine explained, taking his hands off Echo.

"They are waiting for her… We better let her go" Both Kurt and Blaine moved away from the dolphin and she shot off, but not before nudging both Kurt and Blaine gently.

"Hey!"

Kurt and Blaine turned in the water to see Finn, Santana and Brittany paddling towards them. From the looks of things they had gone on without them.

"Tides turning" Santana huffed "We better get back to the boat"

"Alright" Blaine agreed, turning to swim towards the boat.

After they were all safely sitting in the boat, Santana lifted the anchor and Blaine revved the engine. Soon, they were speeding off in the direction of the resort.

"Well" Blaine said, in his driving position "What did you think of that?"

Kurt sighed.

"Just… amazing" He laughed, running a hand through his salty hair, sending flecks of water flying.

Blaine watched him, thinking that he had never seen Kurt as carefree and happy as he did in that moment. All five of them were laughing companionably when Blaine and Santana secured the boat in the shallows of the bay, and walked up the beach to the water sports centre.

"_BLAINE NATHANIEL ANDERSON_!"

A sudden yell stopped them in their tracks.

"Uh oh" Santana whispered.

A man stood in front of him. He looked remarkably like Blaine, with a stocky build and a shock of curly dark hair. The man had his hands on his hips, and he looked outraged.

"Hi Dad" Blaine stammered. Kurt was shocked. He had never heard Blaine sound so worried.

"Get inside NOW" the man roared, and Blaine ran off, without even looking at Kurt in goodbye. Kurt was dumbfounded, watching as Santana followed hurriedly, offering a strangely compassionate and apologetic smile.

"I'll meet up with you and explain later" she said hastily, before running off after Blaine and his father.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks go to my friend Charlie for the boat and engine talk. Also, the pod of dolphins featured in this story, they are real. Even Echo is real, not even her name has been changed xD<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for uploading this a bit late, life is speeding by for me and I forgot that I hadn't uploaded in a while **

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><p>Kurt and Finn walked back from the water sports centre in shocked silence. They had just had a wonderful morning snorkelling with Blaine, Santana and Brittany, until they came back to shore, when a man who Blaine identified as his father yelled at him in front of everyone. Santana had given them an apologetic expression before tearing off after Blaine, leaving the others standing there, shocked and confused. They were not sure what to do, until Brittany instructed them to clean their kits and wetsuits and return them to their original places. They said their goodbyes and headed back to their villa, where Burt and Carole were probably worried. Kurt's phone told him that it was nine o'clock.<p>

Sure enough, Kurt opened their villa door with a swipe of his key card to Carole's frantic pacing and Burt sitting at the table, hand on head. They both looked up when Finn and Kurt entered, Carole's face melting into relief.

"Oh boys! Thank God you are alright" she said, stepping forward. Burt cleared his throat, looking up at Kurt expectantly.

"Sorry Dad" Kurt said, meaning the words he spoke. Burt stood up. Kurt could see he had the note he left in his hands.

"Kurt, where have you been?"

"Yesterday I met some kids who lived on the island, and they asked us if Finn and I wanted to hang out with them, so this morning Finn and I went snorkelling with them"

"What?" Burt spluttered, taking a step forward to stand next to Carole.

"Kurt, the note says 'Gone to hang out with some kids from the island, be back soon'. It sounds like you and Finn went off to do drugs with them or something…"

"What? No!" Kurt crossed his arms angrily. "Dad, you know I wouldn't do something like that!"

Burt shook his head angrily.

"Kurt, that's not the point, I know you wouldn't. The point is, I trust you and Finn to have independence, and Carole and I certainly give you boys plenty of freedom-"

Burt was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door. He turned, startled.

"Who on earth is that?"

Kurt thought he knew. He walked over, opened the door, and sure enough, Santana stood there, in a pair of denim shorts and a resort t shirt. She looked uncharacteristically courteous.

"If this is a bad time, I can come back later-"

Kurt said "no, it's fine" at the same time as Burt said "who are you?" Santana looked baffled.

"Hi, you must be Kurt's dad. I'm Santana Lopez, I live here" she said uncertainly to Burt. He nodded shortly, still in a bad mood from before. However, Santana's presence seemed to soften him a little, because he eyed Kurt.

"We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Kurt nodded, thankful for being spared. He turned to Finn, who was still standing there dumbfounded in near the doors.

"Thanks for the help, Finn" Kurt said sarcastically, walking towards Santana.

Finn shrugged "You went alright without my help, dude"

They both turned to face Santana, whose usual snarky demeanour had slid back onto her face. Kurt marvelled at the transformation.

"Come with me, Porcelain, Foetus Face"

Kurt and Finn glanced at each other at their apparent assigned nicknames, but they both followed Santana without further comment. She led them outside the villa, and onto the beach. She sat down, digging her feet into the sand, swirling around her hands to create patterns in the grainy, white silt. Kurt was still wearing the now-dried swimming clothes from before, so he sat down without complaint. Finn sat down beside Santana, sifting his hands through the sand.

"Alright, Auntie Tana here has some explaining to do"

"Blaine's father, John Anderson, is the head vet on the island. He is also the head of the marine life research department. That's how Blaine knows all the dolphins that live in the bay. He literally grew up with them. But Blaine's father… He's a hard man. Judgemental, patronising, and he's always expecting too much of Blaine. Blaine loves to please, and John is very hard on him" Santana looked upset.

"Blaine tries so hard to please his father. He gets excellent grades, he is very familiar with all the regular dolphins on the island, and he involves himself in his father's research. He's an accomplished scuba diver, surfer, and rower. But it's not enough for his father" Santana went silent.

Kurt was still confused.

"So today? What was that about?"

Santana sighed.

"Well, Porcelain, Blaine's father hates Blaine talking to resort guests. There's no official rule against us hanging out with you guys, but Blaine's father… He doesn't want Blaine talking to anyone… because; I guess he's afraid that Blaine will give the resort a bad reputation"

Kurt was simply stunned. He had never heard anything so ridiculous in his life. Blaine could never give the island resort a bad reputation. He was the kindest and sweetest guy Kurt had ever talked to. He had offered to hang out with Kurt, a complete stranger, just because he was friendly. Kurt already considered the curly-haired boy a friend. He told Santana this.

"You think?" she scoffed, as if that was obvious.

"Blaine's the most kind-hearted guy I know. He couldn't hurt a fly" Santana sighed softly.

"Blaine tries to not let it get to him but… Well, it's hard"

"Why are you telling me this?" Kurt asked her.

Santana was very upfront about her answer.

"_Because_, Kurt, I can tell that Blaine likes you a lot. This means that he is definitely going to want to hang out with you again. Besides the fact you saw John's outburst this morning, I can tell we are going to be seeing a lot more of each other. I want to look out for my best friend, so I think it's important that you know Blaine's deal, so you can think twice before you ever decide to hurt him"

"Hurt him? Why would I hurt him, I barely know him"

Santana just smiled.

"Oh nothing. You'll see, I guess. I have to go, I'm meeting Brittany soon"

She got up, and left without another word. Finn looked at Kurt.

"Well, that was pretty weird"

Kurt nodded half-heartedly. Soon after, they got up and headed back to the villa. Once again, Burt and Carole where waiting for them.

"Kurt" Burt began.

"Dad, I know" Kurt said softly.

Burt's face relaxed.

"Well… good. Love you kiddo"

"Love you too Dad"

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Kurt sat on his bed, staring at the white ceiling. Burt and Carole had offered for him and Finn to come out to the resort café for a bite to eat, but Kurt declined, not feeling in the mood for socialisation after the mornings events. He lay on his bed, his wet hair soaking in pillow. His talk with Santana that morning had caused the salt water to dry on his skin, leaving his hair feeling coarse and dry, and his skin sticky, so as soon as he got back to the villa, he took a long shower, removing all the salt from his body. He then re-moisturised his skin, hoping to negate the effects of sun burn if they were to show. It had been a long day and he was feeling his eyes droop when he heard a tentative knocking on his door. <em>Again?<em> Kurt thought as he got out of his bed to answer the door. He opened it and standing there was Blaine, rubbing a hand through his hair and looking very uncertain.

"Hi" Kurt said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.

"Hi" Blaine repeated, smiling sheepishly. Kurt almost melted. He _was_ pretty cute.

"So um… This morning. That was a little weird…" Kurt promoted, assuming that was what Blaine was here to talk about.

"Yeah…" Blaine agreed, looking even more sheepish.

"I really wanted a chance to talk to you… Are you hungry?"

Kurt nodded, smiling.

"Yeah"

The two boys entered the restaurant that lay in the centre of the resort. It was normally only opened at night, but this late in the afternoon meant that the employees where setting up for the night's guests. Blaine ducked through the side door, leading Kurt. Kurt scurried over to whisper in his ear.

"Are we allowed to be in here? I don't want to get you into trouble"

Blaine chuckled. A waiter walked past, carrying a tray of freshly washed cups. He spotted the two boys, and Kurt expected him to be angry. Instead, his face lit up into a wide smile.

"Hey Blaine! Good to see you! And who's your friend?"

Blaine placed a hand on Kurt's arm.

"This is Kurt"

The waiter smiled.

"Hi Kurt, good to meet you. Gloria's in the kitchen if you are looking for her!"

Blaine nodded, offering a departing wave to the waiter.

"That's Rory; he's working here on a working visa from Ireland. I taught him how to surf, and now we're friends"

They were walking, and they reached the kitchen. Blaine flung the doors open to reveal the large room, which was abuzz with activity. Chefs where running back the forth, carrying pots and pans. Others where chopping up food and in the centre of it all were a gorgeous, mid-aged woman dressed in a chef's hat that could only be Santana's mother. Her face lit up when she saw Blaine.

"Blaine! How are you?"

Blaine walked forward to embrace the woman.

"Kurt, as I'm sure you've guessed this is Santana's mother, Gloria. Gloria, this is Kurt, my friend"

She leapt forward to pull Kurt into a tight hug. Kurt liked her smell, like citrus and spices.

"So Blaine, do you want food? I'll give you food, you are too skinny!" She said, poking Blaine in the ribs. Blaine giggled and darted to avoid her touch.

"Yes please Gloria, if that's not too much"

Gloria waved her hands in the air, dismissing that notion.

"Anything for my daughter's friends. Please, take a seat outside, we will bring you food! Go!" She waved them out of the kitchen, flapping her arms. Blaine smiled victoriously at Kurt before leading them out of the kitchen. They sat down at a table, Blaine's waiter friend Rory bringing them water.

"Santana told me about your dad"

Blaine nodded slowly. He sighed, taking a long drink of his water.

"I wish I could say she was exaggerating"

"I know how you feel"

Blaine looked up suddenly at Kurt, whose eyes where adverted. He looked like he regretted saying that.

"What do you mean?"

Kurt's eyes drifted down, until he was staring directly into Blaine's. They sat there in silence for a few seconds, their gaze strong and powerful.

"I know what it's like… to never feel like you are good enough"

Blaine felt like scoffing in a rare moment of disbelief. Kurt seemed perfect to him. The boy was beautiful, he had a loving family and he was free to do what he wanted with his life. He seemed to have it all.

"You? But your life seems great"

This time it was Kurt's turn to scoff.

"Perfect? Blaine, I've been bullied since I was in kindergarten"

Blaine felt horrible. His own father bullied him, especially in his teenage years, but he could never imagine being bullied his entire life. Why would anyone pick on Kurt?

"Why?"

Kurt sighed. He was going to have to tell Blaine sooner or later, if it wasn't already obvious. He didn't want Blaine to think any differently of him because of it, but from the sincere, gentle look in Blaine's eyes, he got the feeling that he wouldn't.

"Because I was… gay" He admitted. He thought he saw something flash in Blaine's eyes, but when he looked again, it was gone. But there was no hatred, or anger, and Kurt felt a flash of affection for his new found friend.

"Well, I think that's _no_ reason to bully someone" Blaine said softly. Kurt felt Blaine's intense gaze, and he began to blush.

"So!" Kurt said loudly, clapping his hands together.

"Enough of that talk, tell me about your dolphins"

Blaine's entire expression changed to one of complete joy, and Kurt could tell that this was one topic Blaine could never get tired of talking about. He explained that because of his father's profession, Blaine had had an opportunity to spend time around dolphins his entire life. Echo in particular had taken a shine to Blaine, and often swam into the bay to visit him. He told Kurt that the island offered a wild dolphin feeding experience for tourists, and Blaine helped run that program as his summer job. He was also apprenticing with his dad as a vet, until he could finish school and get his degree. Echo's pregnancy was Blaine's project, and he had been researching, observing and taking care of Echo throughout the entire twelve months gestation period.

"It's such a rewarding experience, dolphins often separate themselves from others within the pod during their pregnancy and are very distrusting, but she has been completely open to me, and I love that it is a sign of our bond"

At that moment, Gloria brought them out each a plate of spaghetti, piled high with sauce, olives and tomato bits.

"Enjoy, boys" she said, waltzing off back into the kitchen.

Kurt ignored the carbs in the meal and dug in, simply because it looked so delicious. Blaine was doing the same, although he looked like he was chuckling as he ate.

"What's so funny?"

Blaine grinned.

"This is Gloria's way of trying to fatten me up; she thinks that Santana and I are way too skinny"

Kurt laughed and took another bite of his flavourous meal.

"So Blaine, how do you tell the difference between all the dolphins?"

Blaine swallowed his food quickly and launched into an explanation.

"Well, obviously it is easy to tell Echo from the others because of her huge belly, but also, each dolphin has physical characteristics that make it easy to differentiate them from one another with practise. Like, Echo has a long scar down her back, while Raini's dorsal fin is a lot more triangular-shaped than the others"

"Scar? How did Echo get a scar?" Kurt asked, swallowing some water.

"She had a run-in with a fishing boat a couple of years back, and got a hook in her lower back. It ripped up her side pretty bad, and she nearly died" Blaine shuddered at the memory.

"Fishing is such a huge problem for dolphins here. More marine life dies from fish net and hook wounds than anything else in this bay. We have been trying to ban it for years but… Well, it's a good economy for it and it's quite the popular past time, so no one ever goes for it"

"That really sucks" Kurt said softly.

"Yeah" Blaine said. He shrugged.

"But what can we do about it, right? All we can do is do our best to keep every animal in this bay safe"

Kurt nodded, taking another bite of his pasta.

Kurt and Blaine left before the restaurant opened for the night. They walked along the beach, admiring the sunset. It was getting dark and Kurt did not want to get in trouble from his dad again, so he finally thought it was time to say goodnight.

"Blaine, I better go. It's getting dark and…" he trailed off. Luckily, Blaine seemed to agree.

"Yeah, that's alright. I should go to" Blaine fidgeted, as if he wanted to say something.

"Kurt… I really like hanging out with you. Do you want to do something again tomorrow? I mean… Only if you want too… Finn and the girls can come too!"

Kurt nodded. He honestly could not remember an afternoon more enjoyable than the one he had just spent with Blaine, and of course he wanted to do it again. He told Blaine this.

Blaine's face lit up.

"Great! I'll text you time and place later… Oh and Kurt?"

Kurt turned back.

"Thank you… for listening and understanding. And opening up to me. I think you are really brave"

Kurt nodded.

"Thank you, Blaine"

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><p><strong>That's that. Sorry this chapter's a bit shorter. New chapter will be up soon.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**The annoying thing for me (as the writer) is that the time frame for this fic is not long at all. They are on holiday for only two weeks, so all the events I want to happen have to happen in that time, so everything happens much faster than I would like it to. But please enjoy, let me know your thoughts.**

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><p>Kurt Hummel had a problem. That problem was Blaine Anderson.<p>

He could not stop thinking about him. The curly-haired boy was occupying his thoughts, dreams, and now his conversation. He could not rid his head of Blaine's smile, or the way his face lit up when he was talking about his dolphins, or the way his eyes twinkled when he saw Kurt in the mornings. They were spending all the time in the world together, and it was driving the rest of the Hudson-Hummel's insane.

They were eating breakfast together, sitting at the large table. Carole had cooked them bacon and eggs, and they had large piles of it sitting in the centre of the table, to accommodate Finn's eating habits. Burt was munching on heart-healthy porridge, looking forlornly at the spread.

"So" Finn said, through a mouthful of egg "What ahhre wre doijing foday?"

"Well, Burt and I were thinking that we could take a trip up the northern tip of the islands, maybe swim in the coves there and have a picnic" Carole glanced at Burt, who was still eyeing the bacon pile.

"Oh go on, just one"

Burt's hand shot out like a frog's tongue, grabbing a strip of bacon and shoving it into his mouth. The others watched, while Carole slapped him on the arm affectionately.

Kurt was distracted however. His father was getting annoyed at the amount of time Kurt was spending with Blaine. He liked Blaine, but he wanted the holiday to be family time and the amount of time Kurt was spending with Blaine made it more Blaine-time. He didn't want to admit that yesterday he and Blaine had a wonderful afternoon swimming in the idyllic coves that lined the northern tip of Mabon Island. He also didn't want to admit that he already had plans to go cliff diving with Blaine, Santana and Brittany. It sounded terrifying but he was willing to try it, after he found he was enjoying everything he tried on the island so far.

"Um… I was hoping to go cliff diving with Blaine today"

Carole's face fell, and Kurt felt terrible. Burt sighed.

"Do you really need to hang out with Blaine again today, kiddo? You've hung out with him every day we have been here. It's probably time to do something with the family" Kurt nodded. His father was right, of course, but it didn't change the fact that he desperately wanted to see Blaine again. After breakfast, he texted Blaine with the unfortunate news.

_Hey sorry, going to have to take a raincheck today- Kurt_

Blaine's reply came in minutes.

_Why, what's up? – Blaine_

Kurt typed back a hasty response.

_My parents want to take Finn and me to the northern tip; they don't know I've already been there- Kurt_

Blaine once again impressed Kurt with his response time.

_That's okay, we'll do it another day! Have fun with your family _

Kurt sighed, exiting out of the message page. Of course Blaine wouldn't mind, he was the most understanding and cheerful guy Kurt had ever met. But that didn't mean that Kurt didn't feel bad for bailing on him.

Despite his longing to hang out with Blaine that day, they managed to have a good time swimming at the cove. The waters there were a serene, clear light blue, and the coves jutted out to provide a safe flat rock for picnics. He and Finn swam down deep to look at the fish below, while Burt and Carole tossed a ball to each other. They spent the entire day there, ending it by lounging in the warm afternoon sun. Kurt could swear that every day he spent in the sun, his skin got more and more resistant to sunburn. He was getting slightly pinker every day, but a rigorous sun block and moisturising routine kept the burn from getting any worse.

After they arrived back the villa, the family decided to go for drinks at the café. They arrived to a quiet area with little activity, as most resort guests where out enjoying the afternoon activities. They sat at a table, and Kurt was surprised to see Santana waltzing over dressed in a sleek white uniform to take their orders.

"Santana" Kurt said as she prepared her pad "I didn't know you worked here"

She smiled her characteristically typical smug smile.

"Well, Blaine's gig with the dolphins is his summer job, while working here is mine" She said, poising her pen, ready to take their orders.

"Actually Kurt, my breaks in ten minutes, do you want to meet me outside?"

Kurt's head shot to his father, looking pleadingly. He hadn't seen any of his island friends all day, and was anxious to talk. Burt sighed.

"Fine, but only for her break! Make sure you come back"

Kurt grinned victoriously. Santana took their drink orders and left. When ten minutes past, Kurt could see Santana walking out the side door, gesturing for him to follow. He got up.

"See you dad, I'll be back in a moment" He bounded after Santana.

He pushed open the side door to see Santana chuffing on a cigarette. He was shocked. He didn't know Santana smoked. He marched up to her, and pulled it out of her mouth, stubbing it before throwing it into the garden.

"Those are bad for you"

Santana shrugged. She did not look upset Kurt tossed out her cigarette.

"Meh, come sit"

He sat beside her. She smelt just like her mother, plus the added cloying smell of cigarettes.

"So Blaine said you bailed on us today, what happened?" She said, nudging him in the ribs. He ignored the jab.

"Oh, the family wanted to go on a trip up to the northern tip, so we went there instead"

Santana nodded, accepting this excuse.

"Oh well, we can always do it another day. So, enjoying your time here?"

Kurt nodded fervently. Was he _ever_. He could honestly not remember having so much fun.

"Yeah, so much. I love spending time with you and Brittany and _Blaine_. You guys are so…"

"Woah, woah hold the phone just a second" Santana held up her hands.

"I knew it. I was right all along. I am a GENUIS" She hoisted her hands above her head, as if she was accepting praise from a crowd.

"Excuse me, what?" Kurt said, narrowing his eyes at her. He did not like where this was going.

"I _knew_ it! You are in love with Blaine"

"Excuse me, WHAT?" Kurt repeated, gaping at her with his mouth hanging open.

"I knew it; I ignored the signs for too long. You, Kurt Hummel, are in deep, profound, innate, unfathomable love with Blaine Anderson. Admit it, Auntie Tana knows these things"

"I beg your unbelievable pardon, I most certainly am not!" Kurt said, but a blush was creeping up to his face. So he liked Blaine a little. But how could he not! Blaine was the sweetest guy he had ever met. He didn't care that Kurt was gay, and he had gone out of his way to make Kurt's time on the island a good one. He told Santana these things, and she laughed.

"OH Hummel, you can be stupid sometimes" she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Kurt felt affronted.

"What on earth does that mean?"

Santana shook her head mutely.

"Nothing, nothing, I'm not going to tell you, I want to see this play out" she said, standing up suddenly.

"And I know it's not really my place to tell you, but Blaine's gay too, you know"

This made Kurt sit up a little straighter "Really?"

Santana nodded mirth ready to spill over on her face.

"… So I might be a _little_ interested in him…"

Santana burst out laughing again.

"I KNEW it, oh man I am good. Okay, my breaks over, but have fun with your little 'crush', Hummel" she said, waving over her shoulder as she pulled open the side door again, closing it behind her and leaving Kurt to his thoughts.

Okay, so he might like Blaine a _little_…

… But was it really just a little?

Did a little crush mean that every time he saw Blaine, his heart starting racing faster? Did a little crush mean that every time he saw an incoming text from Blaine, his entire chest started swelling with happiness? Did a little crush mean that when he wasn't around Blaine, his every thought and dream was filled with Blaine's face? And no matter where he was, if he wasn't with Blaine, all he wanted to do was see him again.

Okay, so maybe he had more than a 'little crush' on Blaine Anderson.

Later that night, Kurt felt the familiar swelling sensation when he saw on his phone that he had a text from Blaine. He opened it, reading the message inside.

_Hey, missed you today! I wanted to ask you, it's kind of a summer tradition for Santana and me to take a camping trip to the eastern beach for a couple of days. Even if your parents might not go for it, we wanted to know if you wanted to come. Finn is invited too of course - - Blaine_

Kurt felt a jolt of excitement. Nothing sounded more awesome than spending three days alone with Blaine. As he jumped off his bed to ask his father and Carole, he laughed at the transformation that was happening. Just a week ago, Kurt would have never have gone camping if he could help it. Now, here he was, jumping at the chance to sleep on the ground in a tent for a couple of days.

He walked out to the living room, where Burt and Carole where on the deck enjoying a glass of wine. He approached them nervously. He had to word this right.

"Hey Dad, Carole"

They looked up, both looking at Kurt expectantly. Kurt continued.

"So… How would you feel to taking a few days off, just time for yourselves away from Finn and me?"

They considered it, sharing an amused look with each other. Burt spoke first.

"Well, I would say that that was a luxury that Carole and I could not afford, seeing as we _are_ here with you and Finn, and we are spending some quality family time together" Carole nodded, taking another tiny sip of her wine.

"What would you say if I could get you that alone time?" Kurt cocked an eyebrow.

"I would ask you exactly what you have planned, mister" Burt shot back.

Kurt raised his hands in defence.

"Hey! I just want to offer you guys a favour, since it was so nice of you to plan this trip for us and… there might be a little camping trip that Blaine invited Finn and I to go on… And I was hoping to go…"

"Knew there was something in it for you" Burt chuckled, leaning back in his chair. Kurt grinned. He knew he was nailing it.

"Hey, I'm no Rachel, I just think that this would be a good opportunity for you guys to bond yourselves, seeing as Finn and I will be spending some close, brotherly time together over the next few days… If you let us go, that is"

Burt rubbed a hand on his head. He shot a look at Carole, who smiled and nodded. Kurt was already doing a victory dance in his mind.

"I'm only letting you go because I like those kids you have made friends with, they seem like good kids. I trust them. But I want details! And a map on where you'll be, and a way to contact you"

"Blaine will have a satellite phone!" Kurt shouted over his shoulder while he was skipping into Finn's room. He flung the door open, where Finn was listening to music.

"Finn! Pack your bag, we are going camping!"

"What….?"

"You heard me!"

Kurt bounded out of Finn's room, into his own, and catapulted onto his bed. He picked up his phone to reply to Blaine's text.

_BLAINE! They said we could go! So excited! What are the details? - - Kurt _

Blaine's reply sent Kurt's stomach cartwheeling.

_We leave tomorrow morning. Bring warm clothes and swimmers! Can't wait to see you again! - - Blaine_

_Can't wait to see you again_

_Can't wait to see you again_

_Can't wait to see you again_

Kurt stared at the words, reading them over and over again. He squealed, burying his head into his pillow. Blaine couldn't wait to see him again.

That morning, Kurt was up at a ridiculous hour. Blaine wasn't picking them up till eight am, but Kurt could barely sleep the night before he was looking forward to this so much. He packed his bag with all his essentials, frowning at the lack of space for clothes. He wasn't going to take a big bag, seeing as they weren't going for long, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to fit in all his possessions that he needed to take.

At 7:00am, Finn still wasn't up, and Kurt was sure his stepbrother still had to pack his bag. It was another battle to walk the Hudson brother, until finally Kurt woke him by using his tried-and-true method of ripping the duvet off the bed.

"Time to go, get your gear ready" Kurt sang, skipping happily out of the room.

"You are way too cheerful this early in the morning" He thought he heard Finn grumble as he exited.

Kurt packed and re-packed his bag, until he could get it down to the correct ratio of clothes to skin products. Finally, Finn emerged from his room, rubbing his bed-hair sheepishly and heading straight to the bathroom. When he reappeared, he finally resembled something human. Half an hour later and he was packed and ready to go.

It was fifteen minutes until Blaine was due to pick them up, and the door to Burt and Carole's room opened. Burt entered the room, closing the door softly and walking over to the boys who were waiting on the couches.

"I didn't want to wake Carole up" Burt explained as he sat down. "I am going to pamper her today, she deserves it"

Kurt thought it was sweet while Finn looked grossed out. Burt clapped his hands together as if he was getting down to business.

"Now I want you boys to be careful. Don't do anything stupid, do everything Blaine and Santana tell you to"

Kurt was surprised and grateful about how much confidence Burt had in Blaine and Santana. It was very uncharacteristically trusting of him. Burt was normally so set in his ways, never trusting anyone to look after Kurt other than himself. He thanked his father for it, Finn echoing his sentiments.

Burt shrugged.

"I know this is something both you boys really wanted to do. I have to accept the fact that you are young adults, nearly eighteen, and that I have to start letting you experience things on your own. So have fun-"

Burt was interrupted by a knocking on the door. Kurt leapt to open it, but Burt held up a finger.

"I'll get it, Kurt"

He moved to open the door, Kurt craning his neck to see Blaine. When Burt opened the door, Blaine was on the other side, smiling brightly.

"Hi, Mr Hummel" He said, offering to shake Burt's hand. Burt took it, smiling gruffly. Once they released the hand shake, Blaine pulled out a folded piece of shiny paper, opening it and showing it to Burt.

"This is the map you requested. We will be staying here-"Blaine pointed to a section in the North East Corner of the beach that resided along the mysterious eastern beach of the island.

"Thank you" Burt said, taking the map off Blaine and folding it up again.

"And-"Blaine produced a rather large, chunky phone with a thick antenna. "-This is our satellite phone"

He handed Burt with a piece of plain A4 paper.

"These are the numbers to the two satellite phones we have with us. If the satellite phones for some reason do not work, we also have radios and a radio transmitter with us. Unless the satellites in the sky go down, it will be impossible for us not to get in contact. Not" he added "That there is anything to worry about, Mr Hummel. Santana and I have been navigating this island since we were little. Your sons will be in safe hands"

"Thank you, Blaine" Burt said with a nod. Kurt could see clearly why Burt trusted him. There was something about the way Blaine spoke that instilled people with such a confidence, to the point they would probably trust Blaine with their lives.

"Okay kiddo, ready to go?" Burt said, turning back to Kurt. He and Finn shot out of the chairs, ready to bolt out the door. Kurt leaned over and kissed his dad on the cheek.

"Thanks dad" he said quietly as he passed. Burt clapped him on the shoulder. Finn offered his goodbyes too, and soon the three boys were on their way.

"So Blaine, I never asked" Kurt said, catching up to Blaine who was striding ahead.

"How will we be getting to the campsite?"

Blaine grinned. He led them around the bend in the path to a road made of sand. Sitting there was a large 4WD. Riding shotgun was Santana, who waved with a little smug smile on her face. In the back was Brittany with two boys Kurt had never seen before. One was tall and wiry with a shock of bright blonde hair, and the other was handsome and stocky with a full head of warm brown hair. They waved to the three approaching the car cheerfully.

"Kurt and Finn, this is Jeff" he pointed to the blonde "And Nick. They live on the island too. We don't always hang out with them because they are a bit older than us, but they always end up coming camping with us"

Kurt jumped in the very back with Finn, placing their cases in the space behind them. Blaine turned on the engine, while Santana leaned forward to select a song on the iPod. As Matthew Kearney's 'Closer to Love' began to play and Blaine began to pull out onto the road, Kurt leaned back and sighed. The next few days where going to be amazing.

* * *

><p><strong>"Closer to Love" ended up being the theme song for this fic, so check it out it's a great song. The dude who sings it sounds like Chris Martin. New chapter will be up in a few days.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**sorry forgot to update my bad. remind me next time this happens. **

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><p>Kurt did not know what to expect when they began driving. The road look precarious and unstable and the car began to slip and slide along the sandy white road. Kurt latched his hands onto the door handle, closing his eyes as the car jolted. Blaine was concentrating on the road, but he was relaxed and casual about it, as if he had navigated these roads a thousand times. He probably had, Kurt thought as Blaine spun the wheel, Brittany and Santana throwing their hands in the air as the car bunny-hopped. A rapid beeping sound rang across the car, and Blaine spun his wheel again, holding it loosely but surely in his hands. Santana laughed, smirking as Kurt tightened his grip around his life line, the door handle. She looked behind her, grinning.<p>

"Don't worry Kurt; Blaine's a _great_ off-roader. You are in good hands" she said with a wink, earning a playful whack from Blaine.

"Shh, I'm great at this"

Just as those words were spoken, the car flew into a dip in the road, throwing everyone forward. Blaine straightened up and slammed on the break, preparing for the landing. When the car hit the bottom, it sent a jarring shock wave through the entire car. Blaine accelerated out of the ditch, and they continued along the road.

"BLA-INE. Focus on the road!" A jip from Santana.

"GOOD ONE, ANDERSON" Was a chorus from the two boys in the front, reaching forward to noogie Blaine's head.

"Are you okay back there?" Blaine called to Kurt and Finn. Finn nodded.

"Yeah, we are fine"

"Okay… Sorry about that"

After travelling along the road for a bit longer, Kurt began to see the fun in off-roading. Each dip in the road sent the car flying, and after a while, Kurt and Finn where throwing their hands in the air too. Blaine began to drive more recklessly, accelerating over hills in hopes of catching air on the way down. They had been driving along the road for about half an hour with little change in the bushy scenery, until suddenly; they burst out, driving onto the elusive eastern beach. Kurt had never been on this part of the island before.

It was nothing like the bay. The water was wild, blue, foamy surf, waves crashing at terrifying heights. The sand whipped up at the great winds, and Blaine rolled down his windows, cheering. The others followed suit, rolling down their windows to enjoy the wind and the sea spray that filled their lungs. Kurt breathed in deeply, thinking in this very moment, it was good to be alive.

They drove along the eastern beach for about fifteen more minutes before Blaine started to slow down and pull away from the surf, driving further and further up towards the sand dunes, until Blaine stopped the car altogether.

"There it is" he said, pointing to a clump of trees about five meters in front of him. He drove slowly forward, parking the car with the nose sticking in the trees.

"Last stop. Everybody out"

They all trooped out of the car. Kurt knew he should help the others unpack the 4WD, but he really wanted to see where they were staying. So he crept forward, pushing the sticks and branches apart to reveal their campsite for the next few days. When he saw it, he was instantly charmed.

It was a clever little alcove, covered by trees which gave an idyllic area, shaded from the sun. There was a stream nearby flowed into the ocean, and Kurt assumed it was fresh water. A fire place was already built in the middle, burnt black in the middle with stones surrounding it. Large logs made up the seating arrangements for the camp fire.

"Nice, isn't it" Blaine whispered, appearing beside Kurt. Kurt's heart fluttered.

"It's beautiful" He whispered back. He felt like they were whispering because they did not want to disrupt the natural beauty and serenity of the quaint little camp site. At least, until Nick and Jeff came pounding through the trees, whooping and stomping and dragging their tents behind them. They dumped them on the ground, exclaiming that it was too hot, and ran into the stream, which were only a few inches deep. They danced around in it, kicking up water and splashing each other.

Kurt leaned into Blaine. "Just what exactly are those two _on_?"

Blaine shook his head. "Life, I _hope_"

The others were coming up behind them, carrying the rest of the camping equipment.

"Thanks for helping Blaine" Santana rolled her eyes sarcastically, dumping the bags on the ground.

"Hey, I drove" Blaine reminded her.

"Terribly, I might add. You nearly killed us!"

"As if! More like nearly killed you with _fun_!"

"Please, my grandma could drive better than you"

"Hey! That's hurtful, considering Mama Lopez had Alzheimer's!"

"Gives you an indication of your driving skills, huh?"

"Alright!" Kurt called, holding up his hands. Blaine and Santana looked up.

"The witty banter is cute, but I need help setting up a tent and you two are my best bet" Kurt said, glancing over at Brittany, who was wearing the tent's fly as a cape and using the tent poles to make a makeshift unicorn horn.

"Alright, alright" Blaine grinned at Santana before picking up his tent and walking over to where Kurt was standing.

"We can set up here. We have three tents, Brittany and Santana will share, Jeff and Nick will share, and you, I and Finn will share the three-man" He placed it on the ground, while Kurt had a difficult time keeping his mind out of the gutter.

They spent the next half an hour setting up the campsite. The tents were erected about three meters apart from each other, in an arc which surrounded the camp fire. Santana kept the food and other supplies in a small pile near the fire in sealable plastic crates. She and Brittany set up a tarp which could be wrapped over the supplies in case of bad weather. After the entire campsite was set up, the seven teenagers collapsed at the logs, exhausted from the effort they put in. The sun's proximity in the sky told them that it was about midday. They sat companionably in silence for a couple of moments, until Jeff spoke.

"So who wants to hit the surf?"

It was instant movement. Everyone leapt out of their seats, rushing to their tents to get changed. Nick and Jeff were in and out in record time, hurtling down the narrow path that led to the glorious surf, screeching as their bare feet hit the scorching sand. They catapulted into the water, dunking their heads in the crashing swell, and swimming out to enjoy the refreshing dip.

Kurt popped his head out, to see Blaine struggling with something that was on the roof of the 4WD. He walked over, peering up at the large, long object to see that it was a surfboard. That's right. Santana had said that Blaine was a surfer.

"Need help?" Kurt offered, sliding up to Blaine. The shorter boy grinned.

"Yeah, I'm just a tad short to reach it"

Kurt laughed and moved into position. He reached up, feeling the ties that tethered the surfboard to the roof of the car. He loosened them, feeling the surfboard sliding with the movement. As the surfboard began to slide off the car, Blaine reached up to stop it smacking to the ground. He hoisted it up, smiling a warm smile at Kurt.

"Thank you so much Kurt"

"No problem" Kurt laughed, jumping off the car. He eyed the surfboard. It looked huge, way bigger than Blaine.

Blaine saw him staring. He gestured to the board. "Have you ever surfed?"

Kurt shook his head fervently.

"No… surfing is something I am happy to watch from a safe distance"

Blaine chuckled.

"You really should try it, Kurt. You know, you've been trying all these new things, and maybe this is something you could give a go too" They started walking, heading towards the ocean where the others were already playing.

Kurt laughed.

"Yeah, but all those other things I tried… It was snorkelling and swimming with wild animals and using a jetski… Those aren't things that particularly require skill! Just how long does surfing take to learn?"

"Not nearly as long as people think" Blaine said with a wink. They had reached the others now, and Kurt dumped his sunglasses, hat, and shirt on the ground. For some reason, spending so much time around shirtless guys at promoted him to become a shirtless guy also, plus he learnt the hard way that swimming with a shirt weighs you down, and is freezing once you get out of the water that it would be easier to get warm by taking it off.

He gulped at the treacherous surf. This was nothing like the bay. Swimming in the bay seemed harmless and actually fun and that it why Kurt did not object to diving in. This however, looked uncontrolled, dangerous and actually painful. The others were diving into the waves with fervour, but when Finn missed a dive, he was thrown back first by the force of the wave, appearing only as a flailing mass of arms and legs thrashing around at the surface. He eventually pulled himself back together, and leapt after the group, eager to tackle the next wave. Kurt watched with bewildered fascination.

"Come on, Kurt!" Kurt snapped back to Earth to see Blaine tearing into the water, surfboard under his arms. Once he reached about thigh-depth, in one sweeping motion he pulled the board underneath him and leapt on top of it belly-down, lying flat and using his arms to paddle out past the swell. The others were cheering.

"CHYEAH, GO GET 'EM BLAINE!"

Kurt decided that maybe now was the time to enter the water. He walked towards it, slowly entering as waves crashed at his ankles, then shins, then knees, and finally when it was swirling around his hips he thought it was time to start swimming. He dived like a dolphin into the water, using his feet to propel him forward against the waves until he could no longer touch. He caught up to Santana, Brittany, Finn, Jeff and Nick, who were casually treading water and watching Blaine, who was floating in the surf a distance out from them.

"Good job, Hummel. Now, this can be a frustrating process if you don't know what to do, so, every time a wave looks like it's going to severely break on us, go under water" Santana said, miming holding her breath.

"Really?" Kurt said, breathing hard from his swim.

"Yep, that's all there is to it. Seriously, it's a much better option than getting thrown ten meters back every time a wave breaks on us"

Suddenly, the attention of the group was drawn to Blaine, who was floating in the water five meters out from them straddling his board. Jeff and Nick were calling to him.

"Come on Blaine! Just pick one!"

Blaine laughed and called back.

"I want it to be a good one!"

"Just take that one; it'll be a good one!" Nick shouted, referring to an incoming wave that was slowly rising. Blaine rolled his eyes and slipped forward onto his belly, and began paddling as if he was heading back to shore. Suddenly, as the wave neared him, gaining larger and larger in height, he began to paddle faster, picking up some speed as the wave picked him up. For a few seconds, Blaine was riding on the top of the wave, until in one strong, sweeping movement, he placed his hands on the board and hoisted himself up into a standing position, the nose of the board dipping down as the wave kept building while Blaine rode it, travelling horizontally along the wave. He began to twist his body, attempting to move the nose to catch some air. It worked and Blaine bounced slightly, his curls flying in all directions as he moved even faster for the last few seconds of the wave, until it broke, sending Blaine flying into the water. He landed with a splash, the others hooting with laughter as Blaine's head emerged from the water.

"Ah Blaine" Nick laughed.

"He never was very good at the dismount" Jeff wiped tears from his eyes.

"I want to get up there and show him how it's done" Santana said, grinning.

Blaine had remounted his board and was paddling over to them. They all stopped laughed and smiled sweetly as Blaine pulled up his board.

"Gimme a go, Anderson" Santana said, swimming over and jokingly making a swipe at Blaine to knock him off his board.

"No Santana, leave it at that!" Blaine said. He turned to Kurt and winked.

"Let Kurt think I'm a half-decent surfer"

Kurt blushed. "I thought you were great"

The boys wolf-whistled.

"Whoa, slow down there tiger!"

Blaine rolled his eyes at the boys, undoing his ankle strap and handing it to Santana, whose leg was already sitting on the board awkwardly while she waited for the strap. She quickly secured it, before leaping onto the board, and lying down flat in the same fashion as Blaine.

"This is how it's really done, Kurt" Santana said, winking before turning around and paddling out to a similar spot where Blaine waited for his wave. Blaine crossed his arms, which wasn't an easy feat while treading water. Kurt could feel his legs getting tired.

Santana was much quicker in choosing a wave than Blaine was. She floated over a few tiny waves, before a larger wave began to build in the distance. She began to prepare for the catch, lying flat on her stomach and paddling, quicker than Blaine. She started to move forward, and she had built up quite a pace by the time the wave had picked her up. She also waited until the wave had reaching a turning point, before gracefully leaping into standing position, and slipping down the wave. Santana wasted no time in trying to get the board to move. She bent low, her legs sure and steady, using her entire body to help manoeuvre the surfboard up and down the wave. The wave broke, and although it wasn't as big a break as Blaine's wave, Santana managed to survive it until the wave began to drizzle and loose strength. She leapt off, well past the group at this point and started leading the board back to them. Her expression was one of triumph as she handed the board back to Blaine. The boys whistled their approval.

"Good one, Santana"

"Thank you" she said, smiling smugly at Blaine. He flipped her off, grinning.

It was mid-afternoon by the time the group finally dragged themselves out of the water. Both Blaine and Santana had a couple more turns on the board, each of them proving that they indeed were proficient surfers. Even Nick and Jeff had a go, and two turned out to have some ability on the board as well. By the end of the swim, Kurt thought that maybe it was easier than it looked, so when they were walking back to the campsite, he pulled Blaine to the side.

"So Blaine" Kurt said, watching the others slowly disappear within the tree canopy.

"Would you like to teach me how to surf?"

Blaine's smile just kept getting wider and wider.

Blaine wasted no time in getting Kurt back down on the beach again for his first lesson. Kurt thought that they would be jumping back in the water, but instead Blaine placed the board on the beach, and instructed Kurt to sit on it while he stood in front, like a teacher.

"Okay, so on the beach I am going to teach you how to lie and stand on the board" Blaine started, clapping his hands. Kurt nodded. Sounded simple enough.

"So, lay down flat on the board, on your stomach" Blaine instructed. Kurt felt self-conscious as he slipped onto his belly. He craned up at his neck to look at Blaine, who was staring down at him smiling.

"Good" Blaine said. He sat down on the sand in front of Kurt, wiggling onto his belly. He was so close to Kurt's face, and Kurt could feel Blaine's warm breath tickling his ears.

"Okay, now that you got the lying part down… this is the tricky bit" Blaine placed his hands on either side of the board, and pushed himself up. His legs snapped up so he was crouching on the sand, balancing with his arms, until he rose into the final poised position of a surfer. Kurt watched. Up close, it looked a little more complicated, but he was willing to give it a go.

"Got that?" Blaine said, sitting back down on the sand. Kurt nodded. Now or never, he guessed. He placed his hands on the board, identical to how he had seen Blaine do it. Hoisting himself up, he kicked his legs forward… And fell flat on his face. Blaine instantly jumped forward, gently helping Kurt up.

"You alright?" Blaine said softly, inspecting Kurt's face. Kurt pulled away, feeling more than a little humiliated.

"No, no, it's okay. It's really hard to get it on the first try… You just need to pull your legs up higher next time, okay?" Blaine said gently, patting Kurt on the shoulder.

Kurt nodded. He laid down flat again, this time ready to put more strength into his jump. He took a deep breath and pushed.

One second, he was lying on the surfboard. The next, he was standing, hands poised. Blaine jumped up, applauding.

"Bravo! That was great!" Blaine said, and Kurt broke into happy laughter. Blaine leaned forward and pulled Kurt into a tight hug, and Kurt froze at the contact.

It had felt like a million firecrackers had been set off in the space between their bodies as they pulled apart. Blaine looked a little shocked too, and Kurt laughed nervously, looking away and running a hand through his hair.

"Okay, let's practise it a few more times…"

"So freaking adorable" Santana said, sitting up on the sand dune, concealed by the long grass. Brittany crawled beside her, looping her hand in the brunettes.

"What are you trying to do?" Brittany asked, scooting over so she was sitting close. Santana smiled smugly.

"Blaine is so clueless. Kurt has realised that he loves Blaine, and he might even subconsciously realise that Blaine has feelings back, that might be what's giving him confidence. But _Blaine_… No. Puppy Blaine is so clueless he doesn't even realise HE has feelings for Kurt. He couldn't even explain why he wanted to drag us out to find this kid Kurt that he just met at main reception. I could see it right away. But those two… They seem so unsure of themselves. They'll never realise what the hell's going on unless they get a little push from Auntie Tana… which is what I'm doing"

"So you are trying to get them together? That's nice of you, Santana"

"I'm not just doing it for them. Blaine needs… It's nothing. But in all seriousness, they really are cute together" Santana sighed, watching as Blaine carried the board for Kurt down to the ocean.

Brittany nodded. "They are. I just hope they decide to get a move on. It would be really sad if the wood nymph left before they realised they loved each other"

Santana nodded heavily.

_It would. It would indeed._

"Alright Kurt Hummel, are you ready to surf on your very first wave?" Blaine called, holding the board steady as Kurt mock-stretched.

"Am I ever!" Kurt said, shaking his arms like he was trying to get pumped up for a football game. Blaine laughed.

"Good! Now I'm going to hold the board steady for you while you get on and catch a wave, and then you are on your own" Kurt nodded at these words, trying to remember all the instruction Blaine had just given him. He climbed on, Blaine staying true to his word and keeping the surf board steady. He felt a lot more unstable on the board as the swell rocked it around.

"Ready?" Blaine said as a wave approached behind them. Kurt nodded shakily. Blaine tightened his grip on the board and pulled him back, giving Blaine room to push Kurt off in a run-up. When the wave was nearly on top on them, Blaine pushed Kurt forward, and Kurt was on his very first wave.

Kurt felt unsteady as he slid along the wave. Blaine was cheering him on from behind. Finally, he thought it was time to attempt standing up. He shakily put his hands on either side and prepared to push himself up, just as Blaine had instructed. He thought he heard Blaine yell "Go!" in the distance and that was the trigger, so Kurt leapt onto his board, thrilled that he got the first part right. He slowly rose, hearing Blaine's cheering, standing up for a few glorious seconds until his balance was knocked off centre and he plummeted into the ocean. His ankle jerked as the strap was pulled tight, and he felt disoriented as the water swirled and swished all around him. Kurt gasped, swallowing seawater as a pair of two strong hands hurled him out of the water. Kurt gulped for fresh air as his head broke the surface. Blaine's arms wrapped around him until he could find his feet and stand up. When he did, it turned out they went very deep. Blaine laughed nervously.

"I dashed over as soon as you fell… It looked like a nasty tumble and I thought you might have hit your head… But you're fine, right?" Blaine peered at him.

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine… Do you think I could try again?"

Blaine's face lit up. "Absolutely"

It was late afternoon by the time they got out of the water. Kurt was sore from the amount of falls he took, but he was pleased with his progress. Blaine was too, in fact he could not stop gushing about it as they walked up to the camp site.

"It's so great how far you came on your first go, you are catching waves by yourself and you can stand up and it's so good…"

"Aw, stop it" Kurt joked as they reached the tree barrier. Blaine held the branches back for Kurt to walk through.

"Why, thank you" Kurt smiled, walking through. He loved how much of a gentleman Blaine was. He ended up returning the favour as Blaine still needed to carry the large surfboard.

"Urgh, get a room, you two" Someone who sounded a lot like Jeff shouted from the camp fire. They pushed through to see Jeff, Nick and Finn surrounding the fire, attempting to get it going with matches.

"Don't use all our matches, boys" Blaine said good-naturedly as he set his surf board down by the supply containers.

"Pssh, we aren't… We are fire-making geniuses. Don't slaughter everyone in the vicinity with you and Kurt's sexual tension"

Blaine spat out his water in a classic spit take style. "Wha… What sexual tension? I don't know what you're…"

"Awl" cooed Jeff. "We made him nervous. Sorry Blainey, carry on courting in your honourable fashion"

Blaine just looked bewildered as he slunk off into his tent to get changed. Kurt sat down with Finn, choosing to ignore the two terror twins as they cackled at making Blaine uncomfortable.

"Having fun?" Kurt said softly. Finn looked up.

"Yeah! Jeff and Nick have been teaching me…"

Kurt held up a hand. "I don't want to know"

"That's probably for the best"

Kurt held back laughter.

"Are you having fun?" Finn asked, tossing a twig into the pile of kindling that Jeff and Nick were trying to set alight.

"Yeah, I am" Kurt said, leaning back. "Blaine taught me how to surf. It wasn't pretty, but I was successful"

"Dude, that's awesome"

Just then, their conversation was cut off by Nick's triumphant yell. The boys had gotten the fire started. Just then, Santana and Brittany emerged from their tent.

"Finally" Santana said, collapsing on one of the logs surrounding the fire. "I'm starving, someone get dinner on"

"You start it, you're a woman" A rather large rock flew in the direction of Jeff, who had to dodge it.

"What Jeff meant to say, was your mum is head chef, so surely you know most about cooking!" Nick continued.

"Anyone who has tasted Santana's cooking knows that that is not the case" Blaine said, appearing at the campfire and sitting down beside Kurt.

"Blaine, are you going to serenade us after dinner?" Jeff asked, attempting what he thought was puppy-dog eyes.

Blaine grinned. "If you are lucky, B1"

The sun was setting, the fire was burning, and dinner was on the way. They had set up long sticks to suspend a small bucket of water over the fire, which was slowing heating up to boiling point, so they could stick pasta in there. The group where sitting around the campfire, talking companionably. The island kids where curious about life on the mainland.

"What do you do for fun?" Jeff asked.

Kurt shrugged. "Normal stuff. We hang out with friends. At the mall, or movie theatre, or at each other's houses"

The island kids stared.

"That's it? Doesn't it get boring?" Santana asked.

Kurt shook his head. "Well, after going to New York this year, I think it's a little boring, but honestly, I don't even have time to think about it. I've got my senior year ahead of me and that's something to focus on"

"You went to New York? Why? Was it awesome?" Blaine asked. The others leaned in for the story.

"Well, Finn and I are a part of our school's Glee Club. We spent all last year competing until we made it to nationals, which were held in New York City. So we got to stay there for a week. It's amazing too" he added. "I've never been to a cooler place. I want to live there someday"

"You sing?" Blaine asked. His eyes widened. "That's so cool"

Kurt shrugged, smiling. Across the fire, nobody could see Santana's huge grin.

Dinner was soon on. Santana served up paper bowls piled with spaghetti and sauce. She tossed a packet of shredded cheese into the circle.

"Help yourselves" she said, sitting down on her log, balancing a paper bowl with her dinner in it on her knees. Jeff and Nick brought out their cool box, opening it and pulling out a couple of six packs. Blaine held up a finger from where he was sitting with his dinner.

"Oh no!" He said as the boys brought the alcohol over. "No, you two are not getting everyone drunk!"

"Where do you even get alcohol?" Kurt asked. As far as he could recall there was no bottle shop on the island.

"We are friends with the guys on the supply boat" Jeff laughed. "They get us from the mainland what we can't get here"

"Everything else we get from the restaurant" Nick grinned, handing out the beers to everyone. Despite what he said, Blaine accepted one. So did Kurt.

"Do you pay for it?" Kurt asked, taking the bottle opener from Finn to snap open his beer.

Nick scoffed. "No! My parents _own_ the resort; I don't have to pay for anything"

Kurt choked on his beer. Nick Duval's parents owned the resort? That explained why he walked around the island like he owned the place. He did.

The island kids were nodding, as if they were confirming this fact. Finn looked just as stunned as Kurt did. Brittany was also nodding, as she took a sip of her beer. This reminded Kurt of something he had been meaning to ask Brittany for a while.

"Brittany, how often do you come to this place? You act like one of them" he nodded to Santana, who rolled her eyes. Blaine laughed and offered the explanation.

"We've known Brittany for years; her parents love it here so she comes nearly every break. We actually met when we were seven, and we've been hanging out ever since" Brittany smiled and nodded at this statement.

This explained so much for Kurt. Brittany acted as confident around the island as Blaine and Santana did. Kurt also noticed the difference between Blaine and Santana, and Nick and Jeff. Blaine and Santana both acted like they had an emotional connection to the island and a spiritual connection to every rock, tree and animal. They respected the island and treated it so, as if they loved it dearly with all their hearts, as Kurt was sure they did. Nick and Jeff however, treated the island like their playground, fine to use and abuse as long as they got their kicks. It wasn't a negative energy coming from the two older boys, more an emotionless one. They didn't have a connection with the island, which lead Kurt to believe that the two older boys where not born there. Blaine and Santana however lived and breathed Mabon Island every second of every day.

Kurt was finishing up his meal when Blaine began binning plates for the group.

"The good thing about having paper plates" grinned Blaine as Kurt handed him his plate. Once the clean-up had been finished, the two boys, who had had quite a few beers by now, started hooting at Blaine.

"Come on, Dolphin-boy, go get your guitar!"

"Dooo itttt, I want you to take my request"

"Yeah, can you play some dubstep for us?"

Blaine rolled his eyes to Kurt, standing up and brushing himself off. He got up, leaving the group, heading towards the car. He returned a few moments later, carrying a large, hard guitar case. He pulled it open, and a gorgeous guitar sat in it. Blaine pulled it out, balancing it on his knee. Santana called out.

"Yayayaya, play some music Blaine!" She also had a little too much to drink.

"I will play you some music" Blaine said. "What would you like to hear?"

Kurt couldn't believe it. The most perfect guy on the planet, and this was before finding out that he played music as well. This was more than just luck, right?

The others were calling out random genres and words, and Blaine just smiled, holding up a hand to quieten them.

"I'll just play anything" He said, and began gently strumming.

_Gray_

_Quiet and tired and mean_

_Pickin' at a worried seam_

_I try to make you mad at me_

_Over the phone_

Kurt just couldn't believe his ears. Blaine's voice was perfect. It was soft, gentle and soothing, gently caressing each word. He had a soft smile on his face as he fingered each chord. Kurt looked over the others. Brittany and Santana where leaning against each other, arms holding each other, and Jeff and Nick had gotten their phones out and were waving them in the air. Kurt looked across at Finn and even he had a peaceful, serene expression. Kurt wiggled back and gently rested his head on Finn's shoulder, and Finn barely flinched at the sign of affection from his step-brother. They sat backed and watched Blaine, who was moving into the chorus of the song.

_No amount of coffee_

_No amount of crying_

_No amount of whiskey_

_No amount of wine_

_No no no no no_

_Nothing else will do_

_I've gotta have you, I've gotta have you_

Kurt felt himself blush in the darkness. This was incredibly romantic, even if it wasn't directed at him. He just loved the way the flickering fire danced over Blaine's face as he sung the most charming song. Kurt was just going to pretend that Blaine was looking at him while he sung.

Oh god. He was.

If Kurt was only blushing a little before, he resembled a tomato now. He thanked silently any deity in the sky if there was one for the darkness of night for covering his flushing face. Blaine kept eye contact with Kurt as he continued singing.

_No amount of coffee_

_No amount of crying_

_No amount of whiskey_

_No amount of wine_

_No no no no no _

_Nothing else will do_

_I've gotta have you, I've gotta have you_

_I've gotta have you_

He began to add runs on the last chorus, until he had finished, softly singing the last few words of the song over and over. He never stopped looking at Kurt. When he finally finished, Kurt clapped the loudest.

"Thank was beautiful, Blaine" Santana said, sounding uncharacteristically sincere for once. She turned to Kurt and Finn. "But I wanna hear Porcelain and Foetus Face sing"

The others started cheering at Santana's request. Kurt jumped off Finn and held up his hands, trying to deny the offer.

"No no no, I don't think I could!"

"No, it's okay" Blaine said softly. "Pick a song, I can accompany you on the guitar"

Kurt started to smile. Who was he to pass up an opportunity to perform?

"Familiar with the Beatles, Blaine?"

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_

_Take these broken wings, and learn to fly_

Blaine grinned at him, strumming and tapping his foot on the ground. Kurt smiled back, trying not to notice the five other pairs of eyes on him. It was just him and Blaine.

_All your life_

_You were only waiting for this moment to be free_

_Black bird… fly… fly…_

Blaine joined him, harmonising softly with him. They smiled warmly at each other, and in that moment, it was just them.

_Into the light of the dark black night_

_You were only waiting for this moment to arrive_

They finished, Blaine strumming gently on the last chord and Kurt carrying the note out. He laughed nervously when Blaine was still looking at him earnestly. The others whistled and applauded them.

"Wow, no wonder your Glee Club made it to nationals! If the rest of them are half as talented as you Kurt…"

Kurt waved off the compliments, feeling strangely modest for once. Maybe time away from Rachel was taking the competitive edge off. Singing seemed more about fun and less about slaughtering your opponents.

The rest of the group begged Finn to show off his vocal chords, and Kurt slid over to where Blaine was tuning his guitar softly.

"You are amazing" Kurt said, nudging Blaine with his elbow.

"Not as good as you" Blaine replied. "I'm just a guy with a guitar. You have real star power"

Kurt blushed furiously. That was the sweetest thing to say, ever.

It wasn't long after dinner was over that Kurt began to feel tired. He, Blaine and Finn had sung a few more songs at the other's requests, and had an enjoyable evening. Blaine had left a little while earlier to go to bed, while the others were staying out to drink more. Kurt walked away from the group just as they were deciding a game of spin the bottle would be a good idea.

Blaine was wrapped up in his sleeping bag, apparently already asleep. Kurt tried to be as silent as possible as he quickly changed into his pyjamas and unrolled his sleeping bag. He laid it down beside Blaine, tucking his legs in and snuggling down. He heard Blaine shift in the sleeping bag next to him and he tried to breathe quietly, in order not to wake him

"…Kurt?" Blaine's tiny voice mumbled. Kurt faltered. Did he want him to reply?

"Uh yeah, I'm right here Blaine" Kurt said, tapping Blaine lightly on the shoulder. The other boy sat up straight suddenly, and Kurt leapt back.

"Sorry, sorry. I just can't sleep" Blaine said, running a hand through his unruly curls. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes and his hair sticking up in all directions.

Kurt patted Blaine's shoulder. "You can tell me what's on your mind, you know"

Blaine sighed deeply. "I don't want to hurt you"

This helped Kurt guess what the matter was. "Your dad?"

Blaine shook his head, but Kurt knew this was the problem. "It's okay" he said softly, placing his arm around Blaine's shoulders.

Blaine shuddered, but began to talk.

"I knew he was going to get mad that first time I went to find you after meeting you. But I couldn't help myself. There was just something I liked about you, Kurt. I thought 'this is a guy I want to be friends with'. It's not like my dad is being completely unfair to me. I did bring it on myself by chasing after you. It's horrible of me, but I didn't tell him you and Finn was coming on our camping trip with us. I felt so bad because I thought it seemed like I was ashamed of being friends with you, but that's not true. I just didn't want him to hate me any more than he already did"

Kurt didn't know if Blaine was only telling him these things because he had a little too much to drink or he actually wanted to tell Kurt. But Blaine continued talking.

"It's funny. It's like I knew I was going to get in trouble from my dad for being friends with you, Kurt, and I didn't care because I wanted to get in trouble. I wanted to be rebellious, just to prove he can't control me. But he is controlling me, Kurt. He's winning because I didn't tell him that you and Finn where coming with us, and then told him to suck it. I like to think he has no power over me, but he has all the power in the world. I don't think I could leave this island, even if I wanted to"

_Wow_, Kurt thought. He was shocked. Poor Blaine had given this so much thought and had obviously spent so much time worrying about all this. He was worried he was being controlled by his dad. Kurt had to tell him this wasn't the case.

"You aren't being controlled by your dad" Kurt said. Blaine looked up, surprised.

"You really aren't. You think that not telling him means you are letting him win. This isn't true, Blaine. It just means you are a much nicer, sweeter, more special guy than you will ever know. You didn't tell him we were coming because you were afraid, but not for the reason you think. You were afraid of the fractures of betraying his trust would do to your family. You want to avoid conflict, Blaine. To not make things worse by doing something he doesn't want you to. Protecting your mother so she is not caught in the fight. It's not giving in, it's honourable, Blaine"

Blaine shivered. "But do you think it's the right thing to do, Kurt?" he whispered.

"I think that's something for you to decide, Blaine. But you should know that not telling him these things could potentially do the same damage as it would if you did tell him, possibly more. It's good to fully talk about these things, before it escalades too far out of your control"

Blaine was silent for a long time after Kurt had finished talking, as if he was letting what Kurt said sink in. Then, without warning, he threw his arms around Kurt, holding him tight. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine in return, and the two boys just held each other. After a while Kurt could feel something wet seeping onto his neck where Blaine had his faced pressed, and he knew the other boy was silently weeping. Instead of making a comment, he just held the other boy tighter, until they were both ready to fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>anecdote for this chapter I had to get down on the ground to remember how to surf because I haven't done it in ages and I banged my hip on the corner of my bed and got a massive bruise ouch<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**CH 6 **

In the morning, the sun seeping into their tent had Kurt up early. Finn was snoring loudly next to him, and Kurt chuckled. Nothing could wake that boy. It didn't take him long to notice that Blaine was already up. Kurt pulled on a shirt and jeans and threw open the tent door flap to see the scene in front of him.

Jeff and Nick never made it to their tent. They were lying in a pile on top of each other, surrounded by too many empty beer bottles to be only their own. They were thoroughly knocked out.

Blaine was sitting by the smouldering fire, drinking a cup of tea. He turned around when he heard Kurt, smiling brightly.

"Morning, you're up pretty late" He said cheerfully, offering his mug for Kurt to have a sip.

"Late? What time is it?" Kurt said, taking the mug.

"'Bout seven am"

Kurt rolled his eyes when he handed back Blaine's mug. "You enjoy mornings way too much"

"It's my favourite time of day. The earlier the better" Blaine smiled as Kurt sat down next to him. "Want some tea? I'll make some for you"

"Thanks" Kurt said and Blaine got up to prepare a cup. "Hope you're fine with tea bags" he called.

"That's fine" Kurt called back as he looked around, admiring the campsite in the early morning sun. Everything was bathed in a golden light, and if you looked past the scattered beer bottles, it was beautiful. Blaine sat back down next to Kurt, handing him his tea.

"Thanks" Kurt said, blowing gently on it to attempt to cool it down.

"Listen" Blaine said, turning to face him. "About last night…"

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything"

Blaine looked confused. "I don't?"

"No, I understand. You had been drinking and where feeling a bit emotional…"

"No no no! That's not it at all!" Blaine said, sounding flustered.

"Oh" Kurt said. He felt a little embarrassed. "So what was it?"

"Well…" Blaine started. He looked a little nervous. "I just wanted to say how much I appreciated what you said to me. It helped, in more ways you can imagine. So… thank you"

Kurt was a little stunned. After Blaine had finally drifted to sleep Kurt felt embarrassed at what he had said. He didn't want to get involved in Blaine's personal family business, what if the advice he gave turned out to be wrong? But here Blaine was, thanking him with those sincere, generous, caring eyes Kurt loved so much. He was touched.

"I was happy to" he said, placing a hand on Blaine's shoulder. They shared a brief look just when Santana burst out of the girl's tent. First thing Kurt noticed was that she was wearing Brittany's clothes from last night.

"Urgh, my head" she said, collapsing beside the two boys. They grinned at her.

"Shut up" she moaned, hitting Blaine on the arm.

"I thought the tradition was we get wasted on the _last_ night of the trip" Blaine said, poking Santana's limp body.

"Yeah… But Nick and Jeff enticed me with the amount of alcohol they had and their promise of drinking games… "

Both Blaine and Kurt laughed just a little too hard at this.

"By the way, Kurt, I made out with your step brother"

Kurt spat out his tea.

"You WHAT?"

Santana held up her hands. "Jeez, relax. It was only for a couple of seconds and then he pushed me off him and moaned about his girlfriend at home, jeez, he can be a drag"

"Santana" Kurt reprimanded. "Finn just got back together with his girlfriend Rachel after a very, very long time of pining and singing about each other and going out with other people to make each other jealous…"

"Calm down Kurt, I'm not going to go around telling people I made out with him. He wasn't the best kisser to be honest. And Kurt, singing, really? Do you go to _High School Musical_ or something?

"Sometimes, yes" Kurt muttered under his breath, but he let it go. It wasn't really his problem to be honest, if Rachel didn't find out.

At this point, the rest of the campsite seemed to stir, and Blaine prepared the ones with the hangovers tea and coffee. This brightened them up as they woke from their slumbers, Jeff and Nick looking the most disconcerted by waking up tangled in one another.

"I don't doubt they remember they made out last night" Santana whispered to Kurt.

He once again choked on his tea.

"What?"

"It's actually not that shocking, they often make out when they get drunk" Blaine said, chuckling.

"They aren't…?"

"Gay? No. It's just something very amusing they do"

Kurt shook his head in amazement. Those two boys seemed as straight as they came.

"C'mon Kurt" Blaine said, getting up. "We better make breakfast for those with the hangovers"

Kurt laughed and got up, just as Finn finally emerged from his tent. He stumbled over to the campsite.

"Hey Finn, how are you feeling?" Kurt asked as Finn slumped to the ground.

"Oh god… How much did we drink?" Finn said, staring around at the littered campsite.

"Too much" Santana said, and curled up in a ball.

"I can't wait to do it again tonight"

"Yep"

"Going to be awesome"

"Damn straight"

"Oh god" Blaine said as he attempted to restart the fire while Kurt got breakfast ready to be cooked. "You guys had your party last night instead of tonight… Don't you think that's enough?"

"No man!" Jeff said, sitting up indignantly. "Someone's got to make sure you and Kurt drink the required amount of alcohol and don't bail on us! And we are willing to make that sacrifice, seeing Blaine drunk is worth all the hangovers in the world"

"Seriously?" Kurt said as he brought a pan and oil over to the fire. "What do you when you are drunk?"

"Nothing!" Blaine said quickly, suddenly focussing very hard on the fire he was rebuilding.

"The question isn't what, Kurt, but _who"_ said Nick, cackling. Kurt gaped. Blaine looked furious.

"Nick! That isn't funny. I'll have you know that I am a virgin"

"Chyeah, you act like one" He and Jeff high-fived each other. Santana grinned.

"What they mean, Kurt, is that alcohol makes Blaine mega horny. He'll hook up with anyone, even girls. There has been only one time Blaine Anderson tried to get with me, and that was while he was drunk" Jeff and Nick were howling with laughter. Blaine looked positively livid.

"Guys, this isn't funny. It isn't cool to pay me out because I did some… _things" _cue more shrieking from the terrible twins. Blaine turned to Kurt apologetically.

Kurt didn't mind of course. He had seen worse when it came to drunken friends. He shuddered as he remembered Rachel Berry's house party from earlier that year. He smiled at Blaine.

"It's alright, Blaine. Trust me, I've seen worse"

The boys stifled their laughter as Blaine smiled back and returned to the fire, but when he turned he didn't look happy.

Soon, the fire was started and Blaine and Kurt had eggs sizzling in the pan. The smell was delicious.

"So what are we doing today?" Brittany asked, taking a sip from her mug.

"I thought we could hit the cliffs" Blaine suggested.

The others faces lit up.

"Brilliant idea!" Santana exclaimed. "We haven't been in ages!"

"I love cliff diving" sighed Brittany, placing a hand over her heart.

Kurt felt his stomach plummet to the ground. Cliff diving? It sounded absolutely terrifying. He knew he was meant to go the other day with the group, but the truth was he had never been comfortable with the idea of throwing himself of a cliff. Who would? The very idea of it sounded insane.

"Absolutely. Done. We are going" Jeff said, grinning.

Breakfast was served and the group tucked in. Blaine had calmed down since Nick and Jeff had successfully stirred him up. In fact, the entire group were brightening up after food, which led Kurt to believe they had exaggerated about the severity of their hangovers.

Nick and Jeff were all ready to jump in the car when Blaine put a hand out to stop them.

"No" he said, pointing to the mess the boys left last night. "Clean up all those bottles. We can't leave it like this"

They groaned, but got stuck into the job without further complaint. Brittany, Finn and Santana helped clean up the mess as well, obviously feeling bad that the blame was being put on the two boys. While they cleared up the campsite, Kurt and Blaine loaded the car, and cleaned up from breakfast.

"Blaine!" Kurt called as he packed into the car their lunch for the day. "I hope you're okay that the boys where making fun of you… It's wasn't nice of them and you seemed really upset…"

Blaine shook his head. "Those two are like my brothers and brothers tease you every now and again, right? No seriously, it was embarrassing because I didn't want you to think alcohol turned me into some kind of man whore… I'm not nearly as bad as they let on, you know"

Kurt nodded earnestly. "No I believe you; I just wanted to let you know that I don't care what you've done… It's in the past, right?"

Blaine smiled. "Yeah, it is. Thanks Kurt"

Soon the group was loaded in the car. Blaine had insisted on driving again, not trusting anyone who drank the night before to drive them around on uneven roads.

"But Blaine" Jeff protested as he squashed in the back with Nick and Finn. "You drank too!"

"Please" Blaine said, starting the engine. "I barely drank anything; I was sober by the time I was in bed"

"Sure, whatever, just don't kill us"

It was a short drive to the cliffs that resided along the northern tip, as their campsite was already close to that point. Kurt had forgotten how jarring driving on uneven, sandy roads could be as they slipped and slid all around the road. When they arrived at the northern tip, Kurt wanted to kiss the ground.

The first thing Kurt noticed about the cliffs was that it was very windy. The northern tip being the highest point on the island meant that there was no barrier or protection from the wind. There were little trees in the area; it was mostly just large amounts of rock and a bit of grass and little shade. The rock dropped suddenly and steeply where the cliff face started, and Kurt felt his heart hammering as he went over to inspect the drop.

It was absolutely huge.

Kurt gaped. That had to be at least thirty metres. The cliff face was jagged and the water crashed treacherously against the rocks at the bottom. There was absolutely no way he will be jumping off that. He took a step back, nearly running into Nick and Jeff as they appeared behind him.

"There is NO way I can jump off that" Kurt stammered, wanting to just walk away, get in the car and go back to the campsite. The boys laughed.

"No Kurt, it's okay, we don't jump off this one" Nick said, winking.

"Really?" Kurt asked. He could not even describe the relief he was feeling.

"Yeah, it's just a bit dangerous. See those rocks down there?" Jeff said, leaning over and pointing down. "You can jump off it, but you would splice yourself"

Kurt was just calming down when Santana appeared beside him. "Yeah, we don't jump off that one… We jump off this one" Kurt looked to where she was pointing.

And his stomach dropped.

It was another cliff, to the left of where they were standing. It looked just as treacherous as the first one, the only difference being that it was about ten metres smaller. Kurt could see a thin, winding path that led downhill, obviously leading to the cliff's edge.

"Are you ready to go?" Blaine called from back at the car. He hoisted the backpack that contained their lunch over his shoulder. The others nodded and began to follow him as he led them down the path to the cliff face. Kurt hung back, falling in step with Finn. He wanted to talk to him.

"Hey Finn?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah?"

"Exactly how comfortable do you feel about throwing yourself off a cliff?"

"Not that comfortable at all"

Kurt felt relieved. He wasn't the only one.

"We don't have to do it you know…"

"Hey you two!" Santana called from the front. "Hurry up; you don't want to get lost"

Kurt and Finn both scuttled up closer to the end of the group. It was another five minutes of downhill walking until they reached the cliff face. Kurt was surprised to see that the alcove that they were standing on was much larger from what it looked on the top of the tip. He was even more happy to see that the cliff face they were about to jump off looked a lot safer from where they were standing. The height looked smaller and there were no rocks at the bottom. Kurt looked around to see the rest of the group was already preparing for their first dive. The girls were already in their swimmers that they were wearing under their clothes and applying sunscreen. The boys where pulling off their shirts. Kurt gulped. They were really doing this.

Soon, the entire group was standing at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the water below.

"Who wants to go first?" Santana asked, peering nervously into the water.

"Not me" Jeff said, holding up his hands.

"Nope, not me" Nick echoed.

Kurt was standing at the end of the line, and he looked up at the group. "Seriously?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips. "I thought you guys were a bunch of fearless jungle kids"

"Well we are, Kurt" Nick scoffed.

"But it always takes us a while to work up the courage to do the first jump" Blaine added quickly.

"Oh, I'll go" said a voice. Before anyone could react, Brittany tucked up her legs and leapt fearlessly off the cliffs, hurtling into the water twenty meters below. The others watched her, mouths wide open. Brittany disappeared under the water without as much as a shout. They leant over, staring at the bubbles frothing on the surface. Suddenly, Brittany's blonde head popped above the surface. She stared up at them, her mouth wide open. And suddenly:

"!"

Brittany raised her arms up and pumped them victoriously in the air, while the others began to cheer. She began to swim to the edge of the cliff face.

"We're next!" shouted Jeff and Nick, both scuttling back in order to take a running leap. They linked hands, leaping forward in one, two, three steps and catapulted off the cliff, both letting out bloodcurdling screams as they crashed to the bottom.

"That's it, come on Foetus Face, we are next" Santana said, grabbing the arm of Finn and dragging him off the cliff. Santana screamed with delight while Finn's face was one of terror as they landed with an almighty splash. Kurt gulped as he took a step forward, Blaine already at the cliff edge, peering down. He looked up when Kurt approached.

"Are you ready for this? It's going to be awesome!" He said, practically bouncing like a puppy. Kurt stammered his answer.

"Y-yeah… I don't know about t-this"

Blaine's face was instantly one of concern. He walked straight up to Kurt, putting two strong hands on Kurt's shoulders.

"Kurt Hummel, do you trust me?"

Blaine's eyes were as sincere as they came, and Kurt realised there was nothing to worry about it. He could trust Blaine with his life, his heart, his soul, his _everything_. Kurt took a deep breath, trying to steady his rapidly beating heart.

"I trust you, Blaine Anderson"

Blaine gently took his hand and together they backed away from the cliff face. Then, all too soon Blaine was tugging on his hand and they were hurtling towards the edge of the cliff, Blaine was yelling something but the roar of the wind in Kurt's ears meant he couldn't quite hear him…

And then, Kurt and Blaine were falling through the sky. Kurt tried to scream but due to the fact he had left his stomach and heart on the cliff edge all that came out was air. He noticed him and Blaine's hands where still firmly connected and Kurt was so grateful, Blaine's hand felt like Kurt's lifeline as the blue floor rapidly approached and then…

_SMACK_

Kurt felt an instant rush of adrenaline as he and Blaine surfaced. Blaine looked at him, his face pure euphoria as he swam over to Kurt. They looked at each other, both trembling uncontrollably from the jump, until suddenly, they began to laugh. They laughed until they began to sink underwater from not focussing on treading water, and when they resurfaced again they laughed some more. They laughed until Blaine suddenly leaned forward, placed his hands on Kurt's face and pressed his lips to Kurt's.

Kurt was frozen solid. Blaine was… kissing him. Blaine was moving his lips against Kurt's. Blaine was holding him tenderly. Blaine was _kissing him._ Kurt brought his hands up to grab hold of Blaine's hair to deepen the kiss. He began to kiss Blaine back with more passion, pressing his body against the other boy's.

This was when Kurt felt Blaine seize up. He suddenly pulled away, staring at Kurt with a completely dazed expression on his face. He swam back a few centimetres, and placed and a hand on his lips, staring, looking completely shocked.

"Uh… good. Very good. I'll just… follow me… Um, thanks" Blaine stammered, turning around and swimming towards the cliff face, where Kurt could see the very same alcove that he had a picnic with his family a few days earlier.

Kurt stared at Blaine's back, which was rapidly swimming away. Did that just happen? Did Blaine just kiss him for a solid minute? At the face of a cliff that they just jumped off? Kurt placed a hand over his hammering heart. He just couldn't believe it.

He was in love with Blaine Anderson.

Blaine didn't say a single word to him on the way up. It was a path similar to the one they took to get to the cliff edge, long and winding and a strenuous climb, but Kurt barely noticed the difficulty of the road. His mind was swimming with thoughts, all revolving around one Blaine Anderson.

When they reached the cliff edge, the group applauded them. Kurt felt startled. Did they see the kiss? Blaine looked alarmed. Kurt could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"Well done boys, none of us thought you would actually do it, Kurt" Jeff said, grinning widely.

"Do what?" Kurt said suspiciously.

"God, what planet are you on? Jumping off the cliff, of course. You looked terrified the second we said we were going. I actually thought you were going to crap your pants" Jeff cackled.

Kurt glowered. "That's not funny, Jeff. And as you can see, I'm more fearless than you think"

"Kurt _was_ fearless" Blaine spoke suddenly, smiling warmly at Kurt. Kurt was perplexed. Were they just going to pretend the kiss didn't happen?

"Yes yes, you two were great. Can we stop talking about this? I want to go for another jump" Santana said, jumping up and offering a hand to Brittany, who took it. The girls lined themselves up for another jump, sarcastically waving goodbye to the group standing on land as they leapt off the cliff.

Lunch was forgotten as the rest of the group spent the afternoon jumping off the cliffs. Kurt went with everyone. He went with Blaine a few more times. They did not mention the kiss again but Kurt was getting good vibes from the secret looks and smiles he and Blaine were sharing that told him they would be talking about this later. In the meantime, Kurt jumped off the cliff different times with Brittany, Santana, Finn, even Jeff and Nick. And he loved every second of it. It was shaping up to be a perfect day.

When they arrived back at the campsite, everyone was completely exhausted. They all collapsed in their regular spots around the campsite, slumping down against the logs. They had spent so long at the cliffs, it was already getting dark. Blaine looked at his watched. He sighed.

"I suppose someone better get dinner on"

A chorus of groans and "shot gun nots" came from the group. To everyone's surprise, it was Nick who got up and volunteered him and Jeff to go make dinner. To even more surprise, Jeff thought that was a great idea. He eagerly got up and handed everyone a beer from the esky he and Nick where keeping.

"Where do they keep all this alcohol?" Kurt said, mystified as he snapped open his beer.

"I have absolutely no clue" Blaine replied. "I think they agreed to make dinner in order to butter us up so we will drink with them tonight"

"Didn't you say it was tradition?" Kurt laughed, taking a sip.

"It is… But we have some special guests this time around, and I want to impress him" Blaine said, smiling softly at Kurt. He blushed deeply.

"You know, I think he is pretty impressed with you this far" Kurt whispered.

"Really? Well tell him he has left _quite_ the impression on me… That's why I want to impress him" Blaine whispered back in Kurt's ear.

"Well, he thinks you have left an impression on him… One he can never forget" Kurt said softly, remembering the kiss.

"This is pleasing… I think I am going to tell him how I feel about him" Blaine's warm breath tickled Kurt's ear. He could not stop smiling, and his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest.

"And just how do you feel about him?" Kurt whispered back furiously, desperate for an answer.

"Oh, he'll just have to wait I think" And this was the only point thus far that Kurt felt like punching Blaine. It just wasn't fair for Blaine to tease him!

"Grub's up" Jeff said, dumping a loaf of bread in the middle of the group. They stared at it expectantly.

"You expect us to eat just bread for dinner? You are not getting out dinner duties that easily" said Santana, holding up her hands.

"Yeah, bread makes you fat" mumbled Brittany.

"Don't be silly, Santana" Jeff said, and with a flourish, he pulled out a variety of spreads. "We brought peanut butter!"

"Bla-ine! You're the unofficial leader of this group! Tell them to make us a proper dinner!" Santana whined.

Blaine shook his head, laughing. He picked up the loaf of bread and opened the packet. "I'm good. I love peanut butter"

Santana groaned. "Fine. But you have to get drunk with us because of this"

After the finest dinner of peanut butter sandwiches Kurt had ever had, he wanted to get Blaine alone. But the terrible twins made that impossible, with their mission to get everyone drunk. They did not let Blaine out of their sight; afraid he would bail on them and go to bed. This made things frustrating for Kurt, who wanted his dramatic and romantic confession of love from Blaine already. They were sitting in the circle around the warm, flickering fire as Jeff stood up, holding up his drink.

"I would like to propose a toast" Jeff declared. Everyone stopped talking for once and tuned in.

"I want to talk about something. Something that is very dear to me. And it is very simple. No regrets. Ever. Live every second of life not regretting a single thing you ever did. It's why I often do stupid things. It's why I jump off cliffs and play pranks on the resort employees and act like the youngest nineteen year old on the planet. I want to experience everything I can in life, and I want to do all of it without a single regret. I'm young; I've got an entire island as my playground, and the best friends anyone could ask for. This is the second thing I want to talk about. My friends. I want to thank Santana Lopez, for giving me the competitive edge in every aspect of my life, keeping me on my toes. I want to thank Brittany Pierce for always coming back to us, no matter how far or how long she goes. I want to thank Blaine Anderson for being the glue of this group, the rock that carries us, and being the grounded person that helps us see reason and stops us from doing anything too stupid. And of course, for introducing us to Kurt and Finn, two men who will be welcome in our group always. And finally, I want to thank Nick Duval, for being my partner-in-crime, and being the best friend a guy could ask for"

And with that, Jeff took a long swig of his drink. The others cheered his speech and took a swig of their drinks as well. It wasn't long before Jeff was passing out the second, then third, then fourth rounds. As the group drank more and more, and Nick hooked up his IPod to the 4WD's sound system, it became a party.

The group was dancing to Nick's IPod. They stumbled around the campsite, tripping over each other while laughing till their sides split. Finn was jumping up and down with Brittany and Santana, Nick and Jeff where attempting the drunken worm, and Kurt was dancing with Blaine. All the romance between Kurt and Blaine turned to lust the more they drank. Blaine was grinding his hips against Kurt, and Kurt vaguely remembered Santana telling him that alcohol made Blaine horny, and Kurt was realising this to be indeed true as Blaine put his hands on Kurt's hips so he could grind harder. Kurt almost moaned. He liked this feeling.

Suddenly, Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand, pulling him tight as he led him away from the party.

"Let's go swimming" Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear, his speech slurring. Kurt giggled. This seemed like a good idea.

They stumbled onto the beach, laughing and holding hands as they neared the water. Blaine tripped and fell to the sand, sending it flying. He pulled Kurt down with him, and Kurt rolled on top on him, straddling his hips. Blaine stared up at him, pure lust in his eyes. Kurt started giggling, and leaned down to lightly kiss Blaine. Blaine accepted the kiss eagerly, running his hands up Kurt's hips and slipping his hands under Kurt's shirt, exploring the skin there. Kurt ground his hips down onto Blaine, and Blaine arched his back and moaned. Kurt ground his hips down harder and slower, liking how responsive Blaine was.

"C'mon, Kurt" Blaine groaned, attaching his hands onto Kurt's hips and attempting to get Kurt to create more delicious friction between them.

"Don't tease me… Go faster…"

Kurt grinned. "No no no… We are going swimming, remember?"

He got off Blaine, offering his hand to help Blaine up despite the other boy's complaints that they keep going. Blaine took it, and Kurt hurled him up, before taking off running into the ocean, fully clothed, laughing. Blaine took this as a challenge and tore after him, swimming out where Kurt was bathing in the full moon light. He leaned in to kiss other boy again, and Kurt eagerly responded, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck, and inviting Blaine to open his mouth with his tongue. The two boys tangled their tongues together, kissing passionately for a few more minutes until Kurt pulled away.

"So" whispered Kurt, keeping his arms wrapped around Blaine. "You had something you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes… Absolutely…" Blaine murmured, leaning in again. Suddenly, he pulled back, his eyes snapped open. "But no, not like this"

Kurt's eyes widened a little also. "Whadda mean?"

"I mean… I want it to be special. I want it to mean something" Blaine said, words still slurring but his meaning strangely clear. Kurt nodded.

"S'okay. Makes sense. I'm tired, Blaine" the boy rested his head against Blaine's chest. Blaine nodded once.

"I am tired too, Kurt. Let's get out of the water" the two boys helped each other climb out of the water. They fell onto the sand near the dunes, watching the stars above them, holding hands.

"I've got a good idea, Blaine" Kurt said, rolling into Blaine, who wrapped his arms around him.

"What's that Kurt?"

"Let's sleep on the beach tonight" Kurt snuggled deeply into Blaine's arms.

"Sounds like a good idea"

* * *

><p><strong>The only thing I don't like about this relationship in this fic is how fast it moves. But in reality, I explain it to myself they develop feelings for each other much quicker than they normally would if they where in a regular setting, because they are both high on holiday hormones and Kurt is pretty dependant on Blaine in this strange new land.<strong>

**Also a deleted scene from this fic was Jeff and Nick play fighting near the dangerous cliff, and Nick "accidently" pushing Jeff off just to get a scream out of Kurt. They are a bunch of tricksters they are.**

**Also, I was cliff diving before Twilight made it cool *jams on a pair of hipster glasses***

**btw, I'm on tumblr username captaingustin**


	7. Chapter 7

**this chapter is so adorable you'll shit puppies**

**also, in reference to later in the chapter, I heard Darren loved Kanye West and I couldn't resist**

* * *

><p>Kurt woke to the bright morning sun shining in his eyes. He groaned and rolled over, realising how uncomfortable he felt in damp clothes with sand stuck in every nook and cranny. He nestled down, trying to get into a comfortable position on the hard, grainy surface.<p>

Wait a minute… Sandy? Grainy?

Kurt bolted upright, his hands flying to his head, which was throbbing. He groaned and looked around, taking in his surroundings. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light, the pain in his head never ceasing. He was alone on a beach. He looked down around him. Somebody had put a blanket over him, which was tangled at his feet. He looked to his side and saw a set of clothes lying trampled next to him. He gingerly picked the shirt up, reading the writing inscribed on the left-hand pocket.

_Mabon Island Wild Dolphin Resort_

Kurt went cold. This was Blaine's shirt. His hand flew to his jeans. The zip and buckle was still firmly in place. So he and Blaine hadn't done anything too bad, right? Why on earth were Blaine's clothes on the ground? Was he running around naked somewhere? Memories of last night flooded into Kurt's head, reminding him of the events at occurred.

Oh.

_Oh._

So Kurt did _that_. With _Blaine_.

Kurt was fighting a furious blush when something caught his eye on the horizon. He squinted, battling the pain in his head to focus in on a shape. It was Blaine, riding a curler on his surfboard, wearing nothing but his usual boardies. Kurt felt relieved. At least that explains why Blaine's clothes where lying in a pile next to him. Kurt almost wanted to signal Blaine and bring him in but then he remembered everything that happened the night before and just wanted to hide. So he got up, each step sending more throbbing sensations to his head, and made his way slowly back to the camp.

Santana was the only one up when Kurt made it up there. When she saw him, she began laughing and pointing.

"OH MY GOD KURT HUMMEL, YOU ABSOLUTE LEGEND…"

"Why are you screaming at me?" Kurt said, holding up his hands. Santana laughed.

"Oh wow, I guess your hangover is pretty bad. Come sit by Auntie Tana and tell me everything"

Kurt shuffled over and collapsed beside Santana, leaning back into the logs. She opened her arms and Kurt leaned in, resting his head against her shoulder. Kurt looked around. The campsite looked trashed. There was debris everywhere, the food and supply area looked like it had been pilfered, and all four doors to the 4WD were open, including the boot. Kurt thought he could see Jeff's blonde head curled up in the back of it.

"What on earth happened here?"

Santana giggled. "Oh man, we partied hard. I don't remember a lot of it but I know at one point we were lighting sticks on fire and chasing each other with them. We played every drinking game known to man. We thought it would be funny to throw up in the resort car" she winced at Kurt's expression.

"I know, it's gross. I promise I'll get Nick and Jeff to clean it up" Kurt just shook his head. He noticed how cheerful Santana sounded. A vast difference to yesterday.

"Why are you so cheerful today, Santana?" Kurt asked. Santana's smug smile answered his question. "You and Brittany got it on, didn't you?"

Santana nodded. "Everywhere, might I add"

Kurt made a face. "Gross, Santana"

She shrugged. "So what, we are leaving today, why does it matter? Besides" she added "We like using the beach, but that didn't stop you and Blaine"

Kurt gaped. "How on earth do you know about that?"

Santana made a triumphant expression "I didn't! But this confirms it, you and Blaine did the nasty on the beach, didn't you?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Please, we didn't go nearly as far as you think"

"Bitch please, I know horny drunk Blaine, and I find that hard to believe" Santana held up her hand.

"I'm afraid that is the truth. There was some grinding, making out and then we took a dip in the water" Santana made a face.

"Serious? You two are so boring! But you stayed on the beach until morning!"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, well in a drunken haze I suggested we sleep there. Fully clothed" he added at Santana's expression "And this morning, he was already up and surfing"

"Surfing? He's mental" Santana shook her head. Kurt shrugged "Where's Finn?"

Santana looked around. "He's somewhere in one of these tents. We kind of killed that one" she said, pointing to the tent where she and Brittany used to sleep. It was completely trampled, as if someone had fallen on it, causing all the pegs to rip out of the ground. They were both staring at it when it moved.

"Oh my gosh, did that tent just move?" Kurt whispered.

"I think so, unless we are both still drunk" Santana got up, Kurt following her. They went to investigate the broken tent. Kurt kicked the side with his foot. The tent groaned and shook again.

"Holy crap, how many people are in there?"

Despite their pains they began to work to rescue the people inside, which actually was a simple process of lifting up the tent again and stirring the people inside. Santana peered inside, her face suddenly filled with amusement.

"Well, I've found Brittany, Finn and Nick"

"Seriously?" Kurt asked, laughing. He made Santana hold the tent up while he took a look inside, and sure enough, Finn, Brittany and Nick all lay inside the fallen tent, fast asleep.

"Oh my gosh, how did they not suffocate?" Kurt said in wonder as he began to prod them, trying to get them to wake.

"I have no idea… Hurry up Hummel, my arms hurt"

It took a bit of effort to finally get the kids inside the tent to wake up, Kurt eventually losing his cool and dragging them out by their feet. When they finally emerged, they looked exactly how Kurt felt. Like shit.

At this point, Blaine was coming up from the beach, carrying his surfboard. Kurt nearly dropped the tent he and Santana where trying to fix when he saw him.

"Oh, hi Blaine" Santana said, far too cheerily. He looked at her suspiciously, but she just smiled, looking as about as innocent as Santana Lopez gets.

"Screw this, we are just going to have to pack it up later anyway" Santana said, dropping the tent fly. Kurt followed suit. They went back to sit down at the campfire, where the rest of the group was once again congregating. At some point Jeff had been pulled out of the trunk of the 4WD, and was leaning against the logs, holding his head.

Blaine regarded the pathetic-looking group of teenagers. "You guys" he said, shaking his head.

"Blaine, how are you not dying like the rest of us?" Nick asked from his position curled up on the ground.

"Early morning surf helps" Blaine winked.

The entire group groaned. Blaine was too corny for them. Blaine just laughed and sat down with the group. He caught Kurt's eye from across the now-reduced to rubble campfire and both boys blushed. Kurt had already decided he was going to be cool with whatever Blaine wanted to do. If Blaine decided that kissing the lips off Kurt multiple times last night was a bad idea, Kurt would be fine with that. If Blaine decided he didn't like Kurt, it wouldn't stop Kurt from loving Blaine but he wouldn't hate Blaine if he did. At the same time, Blaine was thinking that he really hope he didn't offend Kurt. He was surprised when he remembered that his drunken, horny self-had actually stopped himself from ruining his potential romantic relationship with Kurt. He hoped Kurt had remembered too, because Blaine was proud of himself for it and thought that it meant that Kurt was so much more important to him than anybody else he had been with, which wasn't a long list due to the lack of people Blaine was exposed to as a teenager who lives on an island.

"Did you two fuck or something?" Nick asked suddenly, sitting up and flicking his head back and forth between Kurt and Blaine. The two boys became instantly flustered.

"What? No!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Y-yeah, I don't know why you would s-say that" Blaine said unconvincingly.

"Oh god, well if you didn't fuck can you stop staring at each other and answer my question, Blaine" Nick continued.

"And what was your question?"

"What's the plan for today?"

Blaine sighed. "Jeez, I really am the leader, aren't I?" the others shrugged.

"Blaine you're the most motivated! You are the only one who can ever be bothered to get anything organised" Jeff said.

"I suppose that is true"

"It is true. Now what are we doing today?"

"Well" Blaine said. "I thought that we will leave here about two pm, so right now we will pack up the campsite and for the rest of the time we have here we can do whatever we want. Any suggestions?"

"Sleep"

"Second that"

Blaine sighed again. "Well, that's fine. But right now, we have to pack up, so everyone on your feet"

There was a chorus of groaning as the group slowly got to their feet. Blaine was quick in assigning them jobs to do. It was Kurt's job to pack up the supply area and bring the crates to the car. Jeff was shovelling the fireplace, Santana and Brittany where packing up tents, and Nick and Finn where picking up any trash they might have left lying around. Blaine was at the car, checking the tire pressure of the wheels of the car. Kurt finished one crate and carried it over, watching Blaine work.

"What are you doing?"

Blaine looked up "You have to let down the pressure of the tires when you drive on sand. I was just checking the pressure was correct before we leave"

Kurt nodded, hoisting the crate into the boot of the car. He looked back at Blaine. Blaine looked at him. They both sighed.

"We really need to talk, don't we?"

"Yeah, seems we do"

Kurt kneeled down, ready to have the conversation right now. Blaine looked around uneasily, his eyes warily watching the movement of their friends behind Kurt. He shook his head.

"Blaine-"

"No, I still want to talk, trust me" He smiled "Just not here. Can I come visit you tonight?"

Kurt was surprised, but he nodded "Yeah, that's fine"

And then Blaine gently leaned forward and softly kissed Kurt on the cheek "Thank you, Kurt"

Kurt was stunned. Blaine always surprised him with sudden signs of affection, just when Kurt thought he was ready to pretend nothing ever happened between them. He smiled, squeezing Blaine's hand once before getting up to work on the next crate. Over at the campsite, Jeff had finished shovelling and was helping Brittany and Santana with the final crate. Finn and Nick returned with a garbage bag full of empty bottles and Blaine pointed, indicating that they should put it in the back of the 4WD.

It wasn't long before the group had finished their jobs. Kurt thought it was sad that the camp sight suddenly looked so empty and alone.

"This is sad" Santana voiced Kurt's thoughts.

"I know! We need to bring crazy mainland kids along more often, this trip has been so much more fun than the others" Nick said, clapping Finn on the back.

"Good to know us mainland kids can show you a good time" Kurt joked.

"More like we showed you guys a good time. Bet you don't jump off a lot of cliffs in Lima Ohio!" Santana grinned.

Kurt nodded. "On a serious note, thanks for taking us out here. I had a great time"

"I did too… Thanks" Finn added.

"No problem guys, we had fun too, yeah?" Blaine looked around at the rest of the group. A chorus of nods greeted him.

They all stood in silence for a few moments, each watching their empty little campsite. Suddenly, Jeff clapped his hands together, breaking the silence.

"Who's up for the surf?"

There was an instant flurry of movement. Nobody bothered to change into swimmers and they all tore down to the beach, leaping into the cool water, shrieking with laughter. The group swam out, splashing each other and attempting to play gladiators. This sparked a serious gladiator tournament, Jeff leaping on Kurt's shoulders, Santana jumping on Finn's and Brittany jumping on Blaine's. Nick played referee, however seemingly making up rules at random. Santana and Finn were the undisputable champions, Santana making short work of anyone who tried to topple her.

"She's… so… strong" grunted Jeff as he tried to push Santana off Finn's shoulders, only for her to retaliate so strongly Kurt lost his stance and fell backwards, sending Jeff tumbling off his shoulders. Santana held up her arms in victory while the boys watched her, their manly pride hurt as much as they were _actually_ hurt.

Finally, Blaine reluctantly looked at his watch and announced it was time for them to head back to the resort. A chorus of groans followed as the group pulled themselves out of the surf, drying themselves off on the beach with whatever towels they had left. They did a final check of the campsite, and when Blaine declared it to be a good enough to leave; they reluctantly piled into the car. Kurt had learnt his lesson from last time and called shotgun, leaping into the front where Blaine was already sitting in the driver's seat. Brittany and Santana had called the middle while the remaining three boys jumped into the 'back-back' as they called it. The three of them had become a little friendship of their own, and Finn was firm friends with both boys.

"Is everyone good to go?" Blaine called, looking in the review mirror.

Blaine started the engine while Kurt took a hold of Nick's IPod to choose some music. Kurt wasn't surprised that Nick's IPod looked nothing like his own, so he decided to settle on something everyone would be happy with. The opening brass riff of Kanye West's '_All of the Lights'_ filled the car, cueing epic hand dancing from all involved. Kurt was shocked to see that Blaine knew every single word to the rap.

"You like Kanye West?"

"You should hear him do the rap for _Monster_. It's pretty badass" Jeff called from up the back.

"Serious?" Kurt asked, laughing. After _All of the Lights_ finished, Kurt switched it to _Monster_, wanting to hear Blaine do the rap.

Blaine shook his head as the intro played "No, no way"

"Come on!" Kurt pleaded. "For me?" he fluttered his eyelashes.

Blaine glanced at Kurt. "You are dangerous" he said, shaking his head. And when the rap started:

_Bitch I'm a monster no good blood sucker__  
><em>_fat motherfucker now look who's in trouble__  
><em>_as you run through my jungle all you hear is rumbles__  
><em>_Kanye West sample, here's one for example_

Blaine rapped the entire song, dirty lyrics; swear words, intense Nicki Minaj part and all. Kurt was stunned.

"I can't believe you can do the entire song"

"I have way too much free time" Kurt burst out laughing at this.

The rest of the trip back home was spent singing the best of Kanye West's discography. Kurt was not surprised to see that Blaine knew each song off by heart. When they rolled into the resort car park, Kurt felt a pang of sadness. This trip was a dream come true, and although he wasn't saying goodbye to his good friends just yet, not spending every second with them would be quite sad. Even Jeff and Nick, who ruffled his hair in farewell just to piss him off. He mock-swatted them away, but smiled at the boys as they moved to stand next to Santana and Brittany.

"We'll see you guys soon, right?" They said to Kurt and Finn.

"Definitely" Finn confirmed, and they said their goodbyes. Both Kurt and Finn got hugs goodbye from Brittany and Santana, and then it was Blaine's turn. Blaine walked up to Kurt, opening his arms and pulling him tight.

"I'm going to come see you tonight" Blaine whispered softly in Kurt's ears. Kurt held him close, breathing in his scent. He really did love this boy. Blaine pulled away and offered a hand to Finn, who took it before surprising everyone by pulling Blaine in for a brief hug.

"Alright, we will get together soon and hang out, okay?" Blaine said to the entire group. They all nodded, and the final waves were made, before the group finally went their separate ways.

Kurt and Finn walked back to their villa. Blaine had dropped them just near main reception, so it was a short walk back to the villa carrying their cases. Both Finn and Kurt hoped dearly that the ocean dip they had taken earlier washed away any scent of the alcohol they had consumed the night before.

When they reached the villa, they both knocked on the door. Carole must have sprinted to open it, because it flung open seconds later. Her face melted into relief when she saw her boys where alright.

"Boys! " She exclaimed, throwing her arms around them. Both boys froze at the awkwardness of the situation.

"Come on Carole, let 'em go" Burt said gruffly, appearing behind her. Kurt was surprised at how glad he was to see his father. He barely thought about them during the course of the trip he had such a good time, but now that he was seeing his father again, he found himself pushing past Carole to hug him. Burt accepted the hug wholeheartedly, and when they were finished, he held Kurt away from him with his hands, to get a good look at him.

"Kurt, look at you. I haven't seen you this messy since you came out of your mother's womb"

"Dad, that's gross!" Kurt said, making a face.

"You haven't complained once about how dirty you are, what has this place done to you?"

Kurt smiled happily as he pulled his suitcase into the living room.

"You have no idea"

Both Kurt and Finn found out just how much they missed their parents when they all sat around the table at dinner, eating the ravioli Carole had prepared for them. Kurt was freshly showered, finally scrubbing himself clean and was back into his usual clothes. Finn and Kurt told them about their camping trip, quickly skirting around the alcohol consumption, making out and other activities they had gotten up to that their parents wouldn't approve on. It seems that their parents had a good weekend too, when Carole wasn't worrying about the boys. Even though Kurt had an ulterior motive when he suggested it, he was glad that his father and Carole got some alone time. They deserved it after the year they had.

Kurt offered to do the dishes when dinner was finished. He felt bad that he would be sneaking out later to meet Blaine. He knew his father would be happy for him if he had a boyfriend; he was just so not ready to tell his father about Blaine. He and Blaine weren't even official, but Kurt hoped tonight would change that.

When he finished the dishes, Kurt quickly said goodnight and went to bed. He was going to stay vigil by his phone, waiting for the message from Blaine to come down to meet him. He jumped into bed, placing his phone on his bedside table, too excited to sleep.

Kurt didn't know when he drifted to sleep, but when he woke he was snuggled down deep in his bed. He sat up abruptly, hand yanking his phone off the table and hastily checking it. It showed that he received a text message from Blaine fifteen minutes ago. He opened it, reading the short but sweet message.

_I'm down on the beach near your villa. Anxiously awaiting your arrival- Blaine xo_

Kurt melted. Blaine was so unbelievably sweet. Kurt got up, as quietly as he could, and grabbed his jacket which he had left on his bed and picked up his shoes, then decided against it. They would just cause unnecessary noise and he would just have to take them off when he got to the beach.

When he left his room, he suddenly felt extremely exposed. He quickly calculated he could make it to the door in fifteen strides if he made them long. Kurt was thankful the floors where tile and not wood, which tended to creak. He was getting more confident when he was nearing the door, not taking as much care when he heard a door close. He froze, not moving a muscle. It would be just _freaking perfect_ if he got caught right now. His mind was reeling, and he suddenly made the decision to high-tail it out of there, not forgetting to grab the keys before he left. When he made it out onto the footpath, he breathed a huge sigh of relief, thankful he made it out unscathed.

Kurt all but ran to the beach, he was so excited. When he neared it, he suddenly slowed into a measured walk, nerves overpowering his desire to see Blaine. But when he saw Blaine's silhouette facing the water, leaning back, he knew there was no going back. He walked onto the sand, softly approaching Blaine's figure. Blaine turned when he heard Kurt's footsteps, his face lighting up into a warm smile.

"Kurt" he said, getting up to greet him. Kurt walked over, and Blaine offered his hand "Want to take a walk?"

Kurt took it, and off they walked, slowly, just enjoying each other's company.

They talked lightly at first. They talked amiably about how much fun they had on the camping trip, and what they wanted to do for the rest of Kurt's trip. Blaine talked a little about Echo's pregnancy and how she was due any day now, and that things with his dad had been very good. Kurt talked about how he was happy that his father and Carole got to spend some time alone, and how Finn being buddies with Nick and Jeff could only lead to trouble. They lost track of time, and they lost track of how far they walked. It was a very beautiful night; the moon was almost full and sent glittering strips of light across the bay. Kurt took a moment to admire the beauty of it all. He suddenly noticed that he and Blaine had stopped walking. Blaine was still holding his hand, watching him watch the bay.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kurt whispered.

"You are, yes"

Kurt turned to him. If he thought the sparkling bay was beautiful, that was nothing compared to Blaine's eyes. They had little flecks of amber in them, from the light coming from the moon, and Kurt could swear he felt his heart stop. They were so close, Kurt could feel Blaine's breathing and even his erratic heartbeat.

"Kurt I… I want to tell you…"

Kurt could feel his heartbeat getting faster and faster. He tried to breathe deeply, wanting to slow it.

"Kurt I… I love you"

And with that, Kurt felt all the air leave his body, and he was leaning in, pressing his lips to Blaine's, over and over again. Blaine kissed him back with fervour, working his hands into Kurt's hair while Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity until Kurt pulled back to whisper:

"I love you too"

They sank down onto the sand, kissing passionately. They lay side by side, staring into each other's eyes. Blaine reached up and gently stroked Kurt's face, softly cupping it so he could press another kiss to Kurt's lips. Kurt slipped his hand around Blaine's waist again, pulling him closer. He ran his hand through Blaine's hair, playing with the soft curls that lay there. Blaine gently traced Kurt's lips with his fingers, until the two boys wrapped themselves together, tangled in one other, content to lie there with each other forever.

But they had to go back eventually. Blaine reluctantly suggested it, and Kurt got up and took his hand again, and they walked back, as slowly as possible, stopping every few minutes to kiss again. Blaine walked him to his door this time, not wanting to let go as Kurt got his key out. He caught a hold of Kurt's mouth again, and the two boys kissed, soaking up one another as much as possible, until Kurt had to pull away and go inside. He waved goodbye, finally closing the door softly. He was so happy; he skipped into his room, not even bothering to be quiet as he flopped down onto his bed to re-live the night's events over and over again. Kurt drifted to sleep in the early hours of the morning, dreaming happy thoughts about his future time with Blaine.

* * *

><p><strong>reviews are love<strong>


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